5 Trends Shaping Pharmaceutical Packaging Design

New regulations, the push for sustainability and the presence of counterfeit products in supply chains are causing pharma companies to challenge how they design, produce and label their products and they are turning to packaging designers for solutions.

The biopharma industry is said to generate approximately 300 million tons of plastic waste a year. While plastics provided a way for pharma to provide safety in sealed, tamper-resistant packaging, countries around the world are adopting regulations banning single-use plastics. Additionally, online pharmacies have given way to drug counterfeiting, leading to the need to verify a drug’s authenticity.

Looking at this healthcare landscape, we identified five key trends shaping the future of pharma packaging. Here are the trends and how paper-based solutions are helping brands stay ahead of them.

1. Innovation driven by sustainability

Europe’s PPWR sets ambitious targets: there are strict rules on empty space, labelling and recyclability, requiring all packaging to be recyclable by 2030. While primary packaging has limited exemptions, over-the-counter and secondary packaging must fully comply. Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has evolved its standards to accommodate sustainable packaging while maintaining safety requirements, and municipalities in the U.S. and Canada have passed EPR laws concerning packaging.

Packaging in the health and pharma industry is no exception. Evolving regulations for pharma packaging are driving the need for new solutions that meet safety as well as sustainability standards. As the industry looks to reduce reliance on plastics, paper-based innovations made with safety and compliance in mind are emerging as compelling alternatives to packaging that was made using plastic.

The latest paper-based cartons, leaflets, and labels offer a natural advantage to meeting sustainability targets — they can be made to be recyclable, are made from a renewable resource and can be made in right-sized formats. When choosing this paper-based pharma packaging, pharma brands can meet regulatory standards without compromising product integrity and accelerating innovation in pharmaceutical packaging design.

Some examples:

Paper trays offer a recyclable* substitute for plastic, vacuum-formed trays often used to pack pills or make-up. Their depth, shape and cavity width can be tailored to securely retain different product types — making them ideal for applications such as cosmetics or combination therapies.

Paper tags provide an opaque, fibre-based alternative to plastic seals and tags. Designed to meet both consumer preferences and compliance, they can be used for tamper-evidence, branding. Since there isn't any intentionally added plastic, they shouldn't interfere with recycling.

custom pharmaceutical packaging

2. Smart packaging and labelling

While the physical leaflet remains the primary and most complete way to deliver key information about a medicine, digital tools are extending patient support. QR codes, smart tags and connected apps improve traceability and medical adherence and provide education and supplemental information, introducing possibilities for more innovative pharmaceutical packaging.

Technologies such as RFID and Near-field communication (NFC) tags provide capabilities for security, tamper resistance and authenticity. Additionally, they have improved tracking and tracing of product across many industries, including healthcare. Better inventory management ensures medications are ordered when supplies are low and those with older expiration dates are used first.

Digital display labels integrate a digital screen directly into packaging for investigative medications, improving how clinical trial information is delivered and processed by increasing the speed at which updates are made. Pharma companies can use the Cere®Screen digital display label to provide customizable content in a user-friendly way and update expiry dates, instructions and warnings more rapidly, bypassing the lengthy manual process that can delay trials.

Cere®Screen supports smarter, more flexible packaging through:

Digital functionality: It accommodates multiple pages of content, including QR codes and barcodes, with a simple push-button interface that lets users scroll through essential information.

Customization: Labels can be tailored to the specific needs of each trial, including multilingual support and trial-specific instructions.

Remote updates: Researchers can securely update label content in real time — such as expiry dates, warnings or instructions — via authorized cellular or PC-based controls, depending on the protocol.

digital screen pharmaceutical packaging

3. Safety & Anti-Counterfeiting

Close to $83 billion in counterfeit drugs are sold every year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It estimates one in 10 medical products in developing countries is fake.

While it’s harder for fakes to enter the system in certain countries or regions, online pharmacies provide more of a market for counterfeiters. Tamper-evident designs, serialization and authentication features are now essential in modern pharmaceutical packaging design, providing protection, compliance and consumer trust.

There are many packaging techniques and technologies we employ to provide multiple layers of security, and we work with customers to regularly adjust security measures and stay one step ahead of counterfeiters. Our techniques provide security through packaging design, printing or digital technology, and they fall into two major categories:

Overt—The technique is obvious to the naked eye, and it’s meant to deter theft and counterfeiting.

Covert—The security technique is not easily seen, and it’s meant to catch counterfeiters or to distinguish authentic product from the counterfeit.

Serialized paper labels offer robust protection while remaining recyclable. The labels comply with EU and U.S. traceability regulations and help safeguard patient trust. For this process, Smurfit Westrock uses comprehensive approach that includes flexible print technologies, regional serialization expertise, and smart barcoding — all designed to integrate seamlessly with tamper-evident features.

With security printing, we can further provide authenticity through techniques such as watermarks, microprinting and thermochromic ink. Die-cutting patterns into sealed paper also helps guard against tampering.

pharmaceutical paperboard packaging

4. Personalized and Accessible Packaging

As personalized medicine grows, packaging must adapt to meet diverse patient needs. That means custom formats, easy-open designs and tailored instructions.

Extended content labels and custom leaflets support personalization while streamlining production. They provide the flexibility to deliver detailed, multilingual information without increasing packaging size or complexity. Serialized labels can also provide personalization by label.

Connected packaging can improve accessibility by making the packaging an internet portal connected to the customer through things like QR codes or NFC tags. Using their phones, users can access detailed instructions with supporting visuals or videos and medication information in multiple languages.

pharmaceutical packaging

5. Regulatory Convergence and Compliance Pressure

From PPWR to USP and EU GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) updates, regulations governing pharma packaging are changing and never consistent across the globe. Brands must be agile and quick in updating processes, copy, languages and formats to stay compliant and have the ability to enter new markets.

For example, our new health and pharmaceutical plant in Dublin, Ireland promotes compliance by being solely dedicated to healthcare packaging. Additionally, it focuses on having the agility and speed pharma companies need to respond to changing regulations and a changing market. With in-house designers, digital printing capabilities and a laser die cutting machine, the plant ensures customers can have a new run of packaging in hand in less than a day if needed.

Packaging the trends in pharma

Paper-based packaging for healthcare is more than sustainable — it’s strategic, supporting smarter pharmaceutical packaging design across the supply chain. From cartons and leaflets to digital labels and extended formats, it can give pharma companies the flexibility, compliance and innovation they need to thrive in a changing landscape.

As the industry continues to evolve, now is the time to re-evaluate packaging strategies. In addition to supporting the latest regulatory requirements, new strategies can unlock opportunities for patient engagement, operational agility and environmental impact.

Get in touch with us to explore how our paper-based solutions can support your sustainability goals, regulatory readiness and patient-centred packaging strategies.

^{*Recyclability depends on finishes chosen and local curbside recyclability requirements.}

Pharmaceutical packaging is the combination of materials and components used to contain, protect and deliver medications. It preserves product quality, supports safe use, and provides key information for patients and healthcare professionals. Special considerations are also made for security, such as tamper-evident and counterfeit protection features, and adherence due to pharmaceutical regulations by region.
Smart packaging is broken into two categories: intelligent packaging and active packaging. Intelligent packaging uses embedded technology to add functions beyond containment. It can improve product monitoring, traceability and customer engagement, tying the end user back to the brand, through tools such as NFC and RFID. Active packaging adds sensors to packaging to provide active monitoring of temperature or other atmospheric conditions, which is important for maintaining the freshness of food or the viability of medications.
Anti-counterfeiting packaging uses security features and design elements to deter copying, confirm authenticity or show whether someone has tampered with it. It’s especially important in industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, electronics and luxury goods. Anti-counterfeiting features can include but aren’t limited to the following:
- Visual devices such as holograms, color-shifting inks or watermarks that are difficult to replicate.
- Serialization with unique barcodes, QR codes or serial numbers on individual products so they can be authenticated and tracked from the factory to the shelf.
- Invisible security features, such as chemical tags, micro-tags or digital signatures embedded in the artwork or packaging, which can only be verified by specialized scanners.
- Smart packaging with RFID or NFC (Near-Field Communication) tags that allow manufacturers or consumers to verify authenticity with a mobile device.
Smart packaging features can perform tasks like verify drug authenticity, track temperature conditions to ensure viability or improve patient adherence through automated dosage tracking. Working with pharmaceutical companies, we are also making advancements in labeling with digital displays for drug trials, which uses display technology to cut down on the time and labor associated with relabeling trial drugs.
While sustainability is always a factor that influences choices in packaging, the pharmaceutical industry has additional needs that require specific considerations in packaging features, such as:
- Patient experience. Packaging should adequately protect the product, instill patient confidence with its presentation and provide a seamless and intuitive user experience, guiding the customer through successful self-administration free of confusion.
- Regulatory and patient adherence. Different regions have various requirements for child-resistance, senior-friendly and tamper-evidence features, as well as drug labeling and information. Additionally, strategically placed billboard space and instructional graphics can aid in patient adherence, and new features can record when doses are removed from packaging.
- Security. The increase of online pharmacies and recreational use of pharmaceutical drugs has fueled the need for features such as anti-counterfeiting, database creation and track and trace capabilities through serialization.
- Supply chain security and efficiency. Security and track and trace features are needed to keep packaging secure throughout the supply chain, while packaging is also designed for automation, scaling operations and optimal packing speed.