Pharmaceutical Packaging: United States

Pharmaceutical Packaging: United States

This report forecasts to 2025 US pharmaceutical packaging demand in nominal US dollars at the manufacturer level. Total demand is segmented by product in terms of: bottles and jars; blister packaging; boxes and cartons; prefillable syringes; parenteral vials and ampuls; prefillable inhalers; pouches; IV containers; tubes; and other products such as prescription containers, strip packs, and liquid medication cups.

To illustrate historical trends, total demand and the various segments are reported at five-year intervals for 2010, 2015, and 2020.

Pharmaceutical caps and closures, labels, and packaging accessories are excluded unless otherwise stated. For the purposes of this report, pharmaceutical packaging demand is defined as the value of finished packaging products sold by merchant companies and produced or assembled internally by pharmaceutical manufacturers and contract packaging firms.

Demand for blister packaging in this report includes not only the blister component itself but also the value of the secondary folding carton, shrink wrap, and other accessories (such as tamper-evident seals or packaging inserts). In other words, it is the cost of a finished package to the drug maker (whether it is produced internally or by contract packaging firms). The blister component of the package is generally not used on its own without secondary packaging. As such, demand for boxes and cartons used in the blister packaging is excluded from secondary packaging data to avoid double counting.

US statistics for pharmaceutical packaging products include sales and production activities in Puerto Rico. Most major multinational drug makers operate one or more production facilities and consume a significant volume of packaging in that territory. In 2020, Puerto Rico accounted for approximately 40% of the value of US pharmaceutical shipments and a comparable level of pharmaceutical packaging demand.

Key macroeconomic indicators are also provided with quantified trends. Other various topics, including profiles of pertinent leading companies, are covered in this report. A full outline of report items by page is available in the Table of Contents.

Related NAICS Codes:
322211 Corrugated and solid fiber box manufacturing
322212 Folding paperboard box manufacturing
326111 Plastics bag and pouch manufacturing
326112 Plastics packaging film and sheet (including laminated) manufacturing
326160 Plastics bottle manufacturing
327213 Glass container manufacturing