TECHNOLOGY SPONSOR: Glass
SGD Pharma, one of That's Nice's Road to 2021 sponsors, discusses how the company is envisioning the future of the pharma/biopharma industry.
The industry will certainly change over the coming decade, with several trends structurally modifying how people are cared for and how manufacturing is conducted. The pandemic is accelerating multiple existing trends.
One such example is the switch to ready-to-use (RTU) vials: this trend began over the last decade in vials, but demand has significantly increased during the last six months for vaccines, while bulk filling is becoming obsolete, even for high volumes.
Packaging materials, especially tubular glass vials, are becoming scarce, driving adoption of complementary alternatives, such as molded glass vials, which offer higher chemical and physical characteristics.
The pandemic has also increased needs for home care, which has driven demand for diagnostic facilities, which need to be closer to populations for testing, as well as online medical consulting. Packaging strength is thus becoming increasingly important, as are innovations that facilitate ease of use.
SGD Pharma believes that there are several major trends currently motivating the pharmaceutical market, with the uniform goal of driving patient centricity and, by extension, in-home self-care.
In addition, we have observed growing demand for sustainability and natural products. SGD Pharma launched its first CSR report last year and will further expand it this year.
On a global level, China is predicted to internalize production even more, which may be to the detriment of Western customers.
Patent-Focused Innovation
SGD Pharma believes that there are several major trends currently motivating the pharmaceutical market, with the uniform goal of driving patient centricity and, by extension, in-home self-care.
Flexibility is key for this to come to fruition, as companies strive to develop more personalized therapeutics. Added-value drugs are on the rise, along with growth in biologics and large molecules.
There is an increased regulatory focus on quality and compliance.
New technologies are driving the push toward in-home care, including e-health, telemedicine, and “Uber health” equivalents. This is matched by a push for sustainability in production and affordability.
Lasting Developments
Partnerships that have developed over the last year will have a lasting impact. At SGD Pharma, we have prioritized better molded glass vials that have higher quality and better inspectability and are resistant to breakage.
As an additional product range, we can now offer 13-mm amber molded glass vials as a complement and alternative to tubular glass vials. This special product offering is available immediately.
This past year has also brought about a digital transformation, an increase in demand for RTU vials, and a range extension of our Sterinity offering.
We have also seen an increase in demand for tubular vials, especially for vaccines.
In terms of market trends, cannabidiol (CBD) has grown in popularity as an alternative to traditional pain medication; consumers are also looking for medicines derived from natural sources. Most recently, we launched Ensiemo, a high-quality range of clear and amber bottles and dropper assemblies ideally suited for oil product formulations. The droppers are child- and senior-friendly; they feature pharmaceutical-grade glass with precise and accurate dropper dosage, resulting in virtually no product waste.
In addition to Ensiemo, we also offer a full product range, including Clareo injectable vials, EasyLyo injectable vials in molded glass, and the Sterinity platform, which features a selection of secondary packaging configurations and boasts a diverse glass vial portfolio.
SGD Pharma’s vision over the next decade is to further increase our presence in pharmerging markets.
We intend to develop more value-added products. Sustainability and digitalization are definitely must haves, and SGD Pharma is taking these trends very seriously.
