Paris: The industry is in buoyant mood at the opening of Pharmapack Europe (January 24/25) – the event at heart of the drug delivery and packaging industry – as its annual industry report predicts significant innovation in inhaled pulmonary and intra nasal drug delivery in 2024.

The Paris based event showcases the latest innovations in the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery, with industry leaders gathered to debate how to meet demand from a resurgent industry.

The Pharmapack report, which envisages high growth for both sectors in the year ahead, was compiled from a 200 strong industry survey, with additional analysis from Pharmacentric Solutions, Springboard, and Team Consulting.

One major shift identified was the evolution of inhalation device innovation, which is moving beyond just asthma and COPD, with the emergence of alternative therapies for conditions such as lung cancer, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and Parkinson’s disease. Device development is now tailored to meet the specific requirements of these new therapy areas, with examples including intra nasal drug delivery for both liquid and dry powder dose forms targeting CNS and systemic delivery – often for products that were previously only able to be delivered with injectables.

Pharmapack Europe is also widely seen as a leading indicator of industry prospects ahead for the drug delivery and packaging market. The event expects to report a record attendance of over 5500 attendees and more than 270 exhibitors.

“The very strong turnout we see this week is sign of increased positivity across the industry, with executives in drug delivery and packaging companies actively seeking new partners and looking to increase outsourcing in 2024. There is a real desire to explore new capabilities and solutions to meet rising demand in the next few years,” commented Laura Indriksone, Brand Manager at Pharmapack Europe.

Emphasising the returning confidence seen at the event, the report’s 'drug delivery innovation' and 'sustainability' index both reported record highs earlier this month. Additionally, the report highlights the increasing preference for novel auto-injector development over on-body devices, due to lower costs and ease of use. Despite the number of products in development, on-body devices have proven to be more complex for users – involving challenges such as skin cleaning, adhesive peeling, and prolonged wearing – and injectables are forecast to cannibalise a greater share of R&D in the next year. Investment is now targeting projects that can help lower overall costs, while unsurprisingly, auto-injector innovation for GLP-1 drugs was identified as a particularly ‘hot area’ for the year ahead.

Finally, the Pharmapack Report underscored the absolute importance of partnerships and collaboration in driving device innovation; revealing that most companies are now running development projects using partnership models to improve efficiency, drive down costs, and rapidly reach important milestones.

“One of the big success this year is the Start-Up Hub, which continues to grow. It is this emerging ecosystem across devices and packaging that is creating such excitement for the year ahead. We expect to see many new development projects launched, increasingly diverse supplier lines to support the widening innovation base, but alongside this, a continued concerted effort to improve the patient experience and sustainability. The feedback from the show floor is that it’s one of the most exciting periods the industry has ever seen – with big strides expected in the years ahead,” added Indriksone.

The full results of the Pharmapack Report 2024 and Index are available on CPHI Online and for more details on registering for next year’s event – with exhibitor space already limited – please visit: https://www.pharmapackeurope.com/en/exhibit/exhibit/book-your-stand.html