The full package
EPPM spoke with Jean Marc Galvez, Berry Global’s new healthcare division lead, to find out how the packaging company is expanding its presence in healthcare applications.
What in the medical plastics industry has drawn the eyes of Berry Global?
Berry has a long history in the healthcare industry and creating a better patient experience through unique innovations is what differentiates us. Today, we are a global leader in pharma packaging and medical devices with more than 15 healthcare-focused sites in the US, EU, China, India and Mexico. Our newly formed global healthcare division will support new investments and partnerships in the space.
Aside from the pandemic, what events have taken place within the market that has led to such growth?
The healthcare industry is in the midst of a global transformation and demand for a better healthcare experience from an expanded pool of consumer-patients is increasing. Global healthcare costs are also expected to double in the next seven years with an ageing baby boomer population.
Our growth is driven by new products to improve quality of care and reduce costs. A great example of how we’re designing with the patient in mind is our digital inhalation devices. Our dry-powder inhaler technology includes sensors and digital capabilities that enable connection to apps and the cloud. Our newest inhaler, RS01X, connects through Bluetooth to the Respiro app developed by Amiko to provide reminders, personalised insights and inhaler technique tips. Patients can share their data with healthcare providers, in person and digitally, to enable collaborative and data-driven treatment adjustments.
Which equipment or technology are you placing your primary investments in?
Our global investments focus on digital capabilities, child-resistant and senior-friendly packaging solutions, and airless and preservative-free technologies. We’re allocating resources and capital to bring more innovative patient-centric drug delivery solutions and digitalisation capabilities for medical device packaging. New investments include ISO Class 7 to Class 8 cleanrooms for manufacturing.
How does Berry hope to continue to meet sustainability targets?
Sustainability is not new to Berry and is at the core of our innovations. We’ve been a trusted partner in closed loop sustainable solutions for many years. For example, we recycle contact lens cases and reuse them successfully in the same application. We also offer one of the lightest OTC healthcare packaging portfolios, which reduces plastic use and saves on GHG emissions.
Which of your products are the current market leaders?
We lead in nasal, eye care, dermal, pulmonary and diagnostics healthcare. Some of our key innovations include:
Risdrop – an eye dropper technology with a unique nozzle that dispenses uniform drops of the same size and weight to ensure the right dosage every time. It was recently recognised with an award during CPHI China.
Palmsoft – a child-resistant, senior-friendly closure technology. It creates a soft rubber feel to the top of the closure to make it easier to open for seniors and anyone with arthritic conditions.
Politainer – offers a unique closed filling system for healthcare applications so it creates a mess-free operation and minimises the risk of contamination. The Politainer collapses as the product is used, which helps to ensure complete emptying of the container with minimal residue. The collapsed PE container is fully recyclable, which aids in disposal.
RS01 inhaler device – a patented capsule-based, refillable single-dose dry-powder inhaler which is the worldwide standard for this category of devices. In addition to performance, safety and compliance, the RS01 design was designed for sustainability – it's lighter weight and uses fewer components than previous generation devices.
AirFree OTC – our Vega Ecosolution sustainable airless dispensing range is available in five different capacities from 50ml to 500ml, all light and 100 per cent made out of plastic. The oxygen barrier protection in the bottle protects a formula’s active ingredients and allows for fewer needed preservatives.