In recent years, with the export of domestic preparations and vaccines, domestic neutral borosilicate glass containers as drug packaging materials have also successfully gone overseas. "It was hard to imagine in the early years, which shows that the gap between the technical level of China's pharmaceutical packaging industry and the international level is narrowing and the international recognition is increasing." Recently, Cai Hong, executive chairman of China Pharmaceutical (12.860, -0.25, -1.91%) Packaging Association, said in an interview with our reporter.

Promoting the innovative development of pharmaceutical packaging industry

For drugs, packaging is an indispensable component, which plays a role of "escort" in the whole process of drug production, storage, transportation, circulation and use. The quality of packaging is as important as the quality of drugs.

"With the joint efforts of associations, experts and enterprises, China's pharmaceutical industry has recognized that the compatibility of drugs and packaging is also one of the key factors in pharmaceutical research and development, which has promoted the development of China's pharmaceutical packaging industry to a fast track." Cai Hong told the reporter that thanks to the technical accumulation in the early stage, a number of domestic medical packaging products with leading technology, stability and reliability, such as pre filling packaging and neutral borosilicate glass, can provide strong support for the production of novel coronavirus vaccines.

"In the future, the pharmaceutical packaging industry should be based on drug innovation and demand iterative upgrading to better promote the implementation of innovative drugs." Cai Hong said, "However, how to properly select innovative methods and technologies is a difficult problem for enterprises. To help enterprises explore ways to solve this problem is one of the main purposes of the China International Drug Substance/Intermediates/Packaging/Equipment Fair (hereinafter referred to as API China) hosted by Reed Sinopharm, which is also the direction of efforts of the Association."

In the future, pharmaceutical packaging should not only ensure the quality of drugs, but also pay attention to product innovation, technological innovation and concept innovation. According to Cai Hong, packaging products may be ready to use in the future, and have multiple functions such as drug delivery and data collection. Green environmental protection products and technologies that can achieve energy conservation and emission reduction will also become the innovation direction of the industry in the future. She said that, as the link between pharmaceutical packaging enterprises and pharmaceutical manufacturers, the China Pharmaceutical Packaging Association will also carry out innovative value evaluation for new products and technologies in the packaging field, and actively promote the implementation of high-quality products. She hoped that with the help of API China, real innovative products would be introduced to the industry and market.

Take multiple measures to meet challenges

In the past two years, the COVID-19 epidemic has had a great impact on the global pharmaceutical industry chain and supply chain. The price of raw materials in the pharmaceutical packaging industry has risen significantly, the domestic core equipment is short, and the production cost has increased significantly. At the same time, the price of drugs brought about by centralized procurement has dropped significantly, further squeezing the profits of the pharmaceutical packaging industry, and the packaging industry is facing severe challenges.

In Cai Hong's view, in the face of this challenge, the industry should promote the application of energy conservation and consumption reduction technologies, and strive to reduce costs and increase output.

At present, the China Pharmaceutical Packaging Association is organizing the development of the Association's standard single dose oral liquid preparation composite film packaging selection guide, which is expected to be released this year to help enterprises reduce energy consumption and costs. Cai Hong said, "The Association is also trying to organize packaging enterprises and pharmaceutical manufacturers to jointly establish a green evaluation system and method for the whole industrial chain, and explore third-party certification methods for green factories and green products."

In addition, we need to make up for the shortcomings of key raw materials and core equipment in China as soon as possible. At the beginning of 2021, the China Pharmaceutical Packaging Association actively undertook the research project of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China (MIIT) to "improve the modernization level of the supply chain of the pharmaceutical packaging and pharmaceutical excipients industry chain", systematically sorted out the supply chain of the industry chain, and supported and assisted enterprises in investment and research and development in view of existing weaknesses.

"It is hoped that with the joint efforts of the association and enterprises, the core raw materials and key equipment in the pharmaceutical packaging field can achieve localization, sustainable and stable supply in the future, so as to ensure that the supply chain of China's pharmaceutical industry chain is self controllable, safe and efficient." Cai Hong said.

It is reported that in order to comprehensively promote the healthy development of the industry, the China Pharmaceutical Packaging Association will also organize the preparation of the "Fourteenth Five Year Plan" development strategy for the pharmaceutical packaging and pharmaceutical auxiliary materials industry. It is planned to focus on accelerating industrial upgrading, developing new products and technologies, breaking through the weaknesses in key links, accelerating quality upgrading, improving digital development level, improving international competitiveness, and ensuring the stability of the industrial chain supply chain Put forward specific goals in promoting green and low-carbon cycle development.

Make good use of API China exhibition stage

Communication is also the driving force of industry development. The healthy development of the pharmaceutical packaging industry is inseparable from communication with relevant industries and scientific research institutes.

In order to meet the diversified needs of pharmaceutical enterprises for packaging, China Pharmaceutical Packaging Association, together with Huiyu Pharmaceutical Packaging Technology Research Institute, has jointly developed a drug packaging material product query platform, which is dedicated to online medical packaging product information and more convenient and fast retrieval functions, providing a more smooth information interaction channel for all participants. At present, the platform has collected information about more than 10000 pharmaceutical packaging products, and can provide a variety of screening conditions to help pharmaceutical enterprises accurately locate target products.

It is reported that the 88th API China will be held at the Qingdao World Expo City International Expo Center from August 3 to 5 this year. At that time, the sponsor will invite some international well-known enterprises in the pharmaceutical packaging field, such as Short Group, Apta (China), Amko, NEG (Japan Electric Nitroza Co., Ltd.), as well as Haishun Xincai (16.050, -0.09, -0.56%), Sichuan Huili, Dongfeng Pharmaceutical Packaging, Shandong Pharmaceutical Glass (28.350, 0.28, 1.00%), Hebei Xiangyi, Hangzhou Zhongda, Chongqing Zhengchuan, Global Printing (13.790, 0.63, 4.79%), Four Star Glass, Shandong Linuo Qibin Group (10.930, -0.21, -1.89%) and other leading enterprises in the domestic pharmaceutical packaging industry participated in the exhibition, and provided a platform for exchange and cooperation for all parties.

"We will make full use of the platform of API China to invite regulators and relevant experts in the pharmaceutical packaging industry to communicate and interact with enterprises around changes in policies and regulations, the development strategy of the 14th Five Year Plan, technology development and other aspects, and hope that you can take this opportunity to reach consensus on the future innovation direction of the industry." Cai Hong introduced.

The exhibition is not only a window for communication, but also a stage to show the development level of the industry. Cai Hong believes that only by keeping abreast of changes in the international market can China's pharmaceutical packaging industry truly promote the healthy and rapid development of the whole industry chain. She hopes that under the background of limited international exchanges, she can give full play to the advantages of API China exhibition platform, timely deliver new demands, new ideas and new changes in the pharmaceutical packaging industry at home and abroad, and jointly promote the healthy development of the pharmaceutical packaging industry in China.