Blister Packaging Market Intelligence

Industry Outlook & Drivers

Global Market Outlook on Blister Packaging

• The global market for blister packaging is valued at $14.32 billion in 2018, and it is expected to grow at 4.5–5 percent until 2022, reaching $18.96 billion
• Unit-dose packing, short-cycle medication, and monitored dosage system to improve patient adherence are the driving factors, which is expected to increase the market share of blister packaging from 18 percent in 2018 to nearly 25 percent by 2023 in the overall pharmaceutical packaging

Demand Market Outlook 

• Need for patient compliance and regulations are the primary drivers for growth of blisters in pharmaceutical packaging
• Innovation in both product and material have attracted demand in developed regions. Increasing healthcare benefits and sale of OTC drugs promote the growth for blister packs further in emerging regions

Global Market Size –Blister Packaging 

• Blister packs occupied nearly 18-19 percent of the global pharmaceutical packaging during 2018 and is expected to reach 23–25 percent during the next five years
• CR packaging with anti-lock mechanism, pressure sensitive push-through blisters (AOF), RFID chip-enabled medication compliance and senior-friendly features are some of the trends associated with blister packaging
• Demand is driven by growing old age population in Western Europe, who is the largest consumer for blister packs globally, development in healthcare system promotes the growth of blister packs in developing regions, like Asia, LATAM, Middle East and Africa
• Middle East and Africa shows maximum growth, with a CAGR of 9 percent during 2018–2023, owing to improved healthcare developments and sale of OTC drugs
• There is a shift from plastic containers to blister in North America to aid better patient compliance for the growing old age population

Global Blister Packaging Demand by Component

• Major components used while making blister packs are forming film, lidding material, heat sealant (additives), and ink for printing
• Forming films account for nearly 80–85 percent, and lidding materials occupy 15–20 percent of the overall blister packaging weight
• Films are expected to witness highest growth at a CAGR of 7.5–8 percent during 2018–2023. This is because thermoforming films are preferred over Cold-form Foils (CFF), which are made of Alu completely
• Lidding materials include paper, film, and Alu sheets. Paper and plastic films are gaining prominence over Alu lidding material, due to ease in innovation pertaining to child-resistance or easy-open-feature
• These CFF types of packs provide less transparency and slow production speeds compared to thermoformed films, which offers clear visibility and optimizes production
• Secondary containers, which include folding boxes, cartons, prescription containers, etc., are growing at 7–7.5 percent CAGR
• Packaging accessories are inserts, shrink material, security components, tamper evident seals. Packaging inserts are drivers for any packaging format, as it aides patient compliance and provide complete product information
• Modern day blister lines can easily pack 1,000–1,200 blisters per minute