Precious Packaging

First impression is the last impression. Packaging plays a very important role in creating that impression for any product. But when it comes to pharmaceuticals, it has to go beyond looks. Sushmi Dey talks about pharma packaging and its myriad roles …

"Packaging has not been adequately leveraged as a marketing tool in India but the fact that pharma market is becoming highly competitive - some companies have realized the role of packaging as a brand building tool" - Avinash Mandale Global Vice President, Innovative Solutions Bilcare

Presentation and looks are crucial when it comes to selling because it creates a feel good factor in the product which convinces the buyer or the consumer to choose that particular product over others on the shelf. The thumb rule is applicable to pharmaceuticals as much as to any other product because packaging of drugs needs to convey that feel good factor to a patient who needs that drug to be cured. However, packaging of drugs is not only about the feel good factor. The packaging of drugs is also used to disseminate important information regarding the drug like its contents or chemical formula, usage, storage, dosage, precautions related to the drug usage, dates of manufacturing and expiry, batch number etc. Besides, packaging of drugs also needs to satisfy consumer expectations. With many Indian pharmacos taking up the FMCG model, the Indian pharma packaging market has also lately undergone a revamp.

Growing market

"Indian pharmacos are largely responsible and now understand the need of the market. Especially, with pharmacos adopting FMCG model, packaging of medicines is no more a neglected story" - Gauri Chaudhari Brand Consultant FCB-Ulka Healthcare

According to a report published by the Freedonia Group in July last year, world pharma packaging demand for primary packaging containers is forecast to rise 6.5 percent annually. The market is estimated to reach over $32 billion in 2016. It is also expected that the US, Australia and Europe will absorb the majority of this market because of the presence of the most advanced drug producing sectors. According to Gauri Chaudhari, Brand Consultant, FCB-Ulka Healthcare, American and Australian pharma packaging trends are some of the best in the global market.

Indian pharmacos have also recognized the need of business and consumers lately. "Indian pharmacos are largely responsible and now understand the need of the market. Especially, with pharmacos adopting FMCG model, packaging of medicines is no more a neglected story," says Chaudhari. As drug producing sectors upgrade and diversify, packaging market is also witnessing a rapid growth. The Indian pharma packaging market is now also being targeted by many foreign multinational players of the sector. Many such players have entered the Indian market lately and putting in place plans to tap the Indian pharma packaging segment.

One such recent development is seen in case of a Swedish paper manufacturer Billerud. Recent reports suggest that the $ 1.2 billion company is planning to double exports of soft pulp and medical packaging material to India over the next five years. The company currently supplies about 500 tons of paper packaging for medical devices. According to reports, the estimated requirement for paper packaging in the medical segment is growing at about six percent and is close to 2,000 tons per annum.

In another such development last month, renowned German company, Bosch opened its first packaging division in Goa. While the company announced that its new facility will produce and assemble packaging technology equipment for requirements such as candy wrapping, solid food and biscuit packaging, it will also produce and assemble packaging equipments for pharma products, such as vials, ampoules and syringes.

Faced with competition from MNC players, Indian pharma packaging industry seems to have pulled up its socks and come out with its own kitty of packaging solutions.

The main characteristic of these solutions is that they are consumer friendly, informative, safe and at the same time attractive and make the consumer feel good. Experts believe that the fast growth of the pharma packaging industry in India is to be attributed largely to the increasing availability of better quality technology and new packaging machines in the country.

Packaging solutions

Today the Indian packaging industry displays a range of packaging varieties starting from loose packing, strip packing and blister packing to aluminium (Alu) packing. The strength of the packaging machinery sector lies in the fact that virtually everything needs to be and can be packed, be it solids, granules or liquids. The packaging industry for that matter has come up with a number of options in plastic, glass, aluminium, PET bottles, alu-alu, blister technology or paper. Besides, there are innovative and effective solutions like security packaging and holograms to fight challenges of counterfeiting etc. Modern packaging machineries, on the other hand, have taken Indian packaging industry a step ahead because these machineries play a key role in ensuring packaging of exact dosage and medicines specific to individual needs.

How it helps…

Packaging fulfills the needs of pharma industry and consumers on three important Ps- Presentation, Protection and Preservation. Hence, besides using its looks and colours to convince consumers to buy the drug, packaging also has a more serious role to play when it comes to drug delivery. "Packaging is a system by which a product like food, pharma and cosmetics etc will reach the comsumer's hand in safe and sound condition within an affordable cost. In case of pharma products, it is critical to understand the functional properties of packaging and it is also necessary to ascertain whether the package could provide all the functions or not," asserts NC Saha, Professor and Head, Laboratories Division, Indian Institute of Packaging.

The Indian pharma industry is plagued by major issues like increased counterfeiting, drooping patient compliance, need for convenience, communication cost and stability of formulations. Major pharma brands suffer from problems of counterfeit/pass-off and compliance. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), global pharma sales market which accounts to $643 billion has counterfeits to the extent of $50 billion and this is expected to grow to $75 billion by 2010. This leads to major loss of revenues, apart from the danger posed to patients. Good and effective packaging solutions can come to the rescue of pharmacos facing such challenges. In such circumstances, packaging has to gear up for a more effective role. If packaging can communicate with the patients regarding its brand name it will prevent substitution of the brand

Effective packaging can help patients get original medicines and desired response and hence protects patients from these problems. "If the packaging has a unique identity with strong consumer discernable features which cannot be copied by others, it would help to prevent the problem of counterfeit and pass-off," suggests Avinash Mandale, Global Vice President, Innovative Solutions, Bilcare.

As an effective step towards handling counterfeits, Bilcare has recently acquired Singapore-based Singular ID through its subsidiary Bilcare Singapore. Singular ID provides anti-counterfeiting and brand security products and services on the nanotechnology platform.

Besides, packaging is also instrumental in building a relationship between the drug and the patient or consumer. "Packaging plays an important role because it creates an emotional link with patients or customers. It is essential to understand that the idea behind buying medicines is not only to get cured but also feel cured and hence it also needs warmth of trust. The vibrant colours not only make the medicine look attractive to the consumer but also helps in building in that trust," explains Chaudhari.

However, experts maintain that while investing and innovating in packaging, some key hallmarks have to be taken care of. For instance, it is very important for a medicine to look like a medicine and hence its looks have to be designed keeping this in mind. "While making an effort to look attractive with use of bright colours, packaging should not tend to give up the core value of the medicine. The equity values of the drug should be maintained," emphasises Chaudhari.

Interestingly, packaging in pharma sector has an additional role to play because it is also related to compliance issues and convenience of the patient. This is compounded in the case of pediatric and geriatric patient groups. This is where 'child-proof' and 'easy to use' packaging innovations step in. Therefore right kind of packaging can help patients stick to the treatment regime and get better response from the drug. "Packaging can and should communicate with patients and guide them on administration of the drug, right intake of dosage, prevent discontinuation of therapy and convey important information on storage and warnings. Such messages through packaging would be of help to patients," suggests Mandale. This is the reason why there have been continuous shifts and transformations in types of packaging used for different kind of drugs and the experimentation continues. The key intention is to adopt customised packaging solutions to achieve maximum advantages from the administration of the medicine as well as to offer easy-to-carry packaging to the patient. In fact, pharma industry has often faced the ire of consumer activist groups for not providing consumers or patients informative packaging.

Creating impression

"First impression is important. When you are partying, your attire talks about it. Your dress talks about your personality and creates the first impression. So does the packaging," avers Chaudhari who thinks packaging has a lot to say on how a drug becomes a brand and rules the market. "Packaging is one of the effective tools of information and communications and thus to promote a brand to doctors as well as patients. In many cases, a common man self-prescribes, where he purchases the medicines only by trade name and brand name and these names are printed on the packages only. In such cases, the packages are the most effective tool for brand promotion," says Saha.

However, the industry in India is still in a nascent stage. "Packaging has not been adequately leveraged as a marketing tool in India but the fact that pharma market is becoming highly competitive - some companies have realized the role of packaging as a brand building tool," says Mandale. Experts say that packaging of drugs in international market is more supportive to the user. "Packaging in the international markets are more patient friendly," observes Chaudhari. According to Chaudhari, while deciding on packaging, pharmacos should identify their target audience. "In India, packaging is done more in theoretical manner and very easily arrives on a conclusion saying nothing much can be done apart from use of colour and material, whereas the fact is a lot can be done around. There can be a whole redoing but you have to see a clear cut benefit of your target audience," adds Chaudhari. For instance, an anti-smoking product was accompanied by a breaking stick because scientific research showed that when a chain smoker is kept away from smoking, he would like to express his anger by breaking something. According to Chaudhari, with pharma joining the FMCG race it has to come closer to the consumer and the brand has to speak for itself. Packaging, therefore, has a major role to play.

Last word

The industry is growing but there are certain things which need to be taken care. 'Pass-offs' tops the list of such things. Pass-offs or counterfeits of packaging affects a brand as well as patients. What often happens is that a brand marketed in a particular category has a host of other brands mimicking its packaging format. This leads to major loss of revenues apart from danger to life of patients. Experts suggest that pharmacos should use unique packaging solutions to avoid such problems. "One need not spend too much, but slightly more, to use a special or unique colour or dye which cannot be copied by others," suggests Chaudhari.

Product package compatibility is also a key thing that pharmacos must take care while packaging a drug. "Medicines are taken by the patient to get cured from a particular disease but if the product has got certain adverse effect due to the contact of packaging material, then the efficacy of the medicine is completely defeated. Due to this fact, a product package compatibility study is to be carried out by the pharma industries prior to the introduction of any new packaging material for a particular medicine," suggests Saha.

Last but not the least, innovation in packaging is the need of the hour. While times are changing for the pharma industry, packaging of pharma products also needs a major overhaul. Ethical drugs did not need to speak for themselves or 'connect' to the patient; however with OTC drugs consumers now have the power to make their own choices. Hence, packaging now requires to fulfill its functional role and at the same time, be more patient friendly. However, Chaudhari warns that fancy packaging is not going to work anymore; there has to be serious packaging with right innovative ideas.

sushmi.dey@expressindia.com