Future pharmaceutical, biological, and nutraceutical product and packaging developments won't necessarily be driven by large companies in Europe and the United States, but often by businesses in smaller "third-world" countries. That prognostication is courtesy of Theodore Iliopoulos, COO at Polpharma, a Poland-based manufacturer of drug products and pharmaceutical ingredients.
Cost issues, tax incentives, generics, and job movements of packaging professionals around the world all link us in the global life-sciences packaging community. The Intl. Society for Professional Engineering (ISPE) serves as a strong example of this global community. ISPE is a not-for-profit association for pharmaceutical manufacturing professionals, serving some 25,000 members in 90 countries. Its Packaging Community of Practice, formed less than two years ago, has quickly grown to more than 500 members.
ISPE Packaging COP co-chairman Chuck Reed of Weiler Engineering, a manufacturer of aseptic blow/fill/seal machinery, provides a personal perspective on healthcare developments based on his recent travels to China and India (see page 30).
A recent Associated Press story picked up by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel included a Shanghai, China, dateline. The story said that China, "with its huge economy, which has long offered one of the world's lowest manufacturing costs, is losing its claim on cheapness as factories get squeezed by rising prices for energy, materials, and labor. Those expenses, plus higher taxes and stricter enforcement of labor and environmental standards, are causing some manufacturers to leave for lower-cost markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and India," supporting Iliopoulos's prediction.
And "if you are not in India, you do not exist," according to Dr. Guido Corbella, CEO of Ipack-Ima and Centrexpo SpA of Milan, Italy. "We recognize that India will be a dominant country in printing, converting, and packaging," he adds.
More international press releases appear in my in box than ever before, touting events around the globe and the establishment of manufacturing plants and sales outlets.
Here's a sampling of recent headlines demonstrating global growth: "Adept Technology announces significant expansion in Korea, world's fourth-largest robotics market," "Megeden [a medical-device maker] expands, opens new facility in Mexico," "Symetix hires new sales representative for India," "Schott [Pharmaceutical Packaging] to open pharmaceutical packaging production facility in Russia," "Stora Enso appoints [South African technology company] Authentech as PackAgent reseller."
Although Healthcare Packaging is published primarily for you here in the U.S., we continue to dive into international pack-aging waters so you can follow your peers around the world-without a life vest, a lengthy plane flight, or even a passport. Beyond Reed's piece on China and India, read how combination products may help recharge Puerto Rico's pharmaceutical industry following the expiration of tax incentives (page 28). And a report from Pharmapack in Paris, France, discusses the emerging role of packaging in treating cancer (page 29).
Bon voyage! [HCP]
By Jim Butschli,
Editor
