Europe Pharmaceutical Glass Packaging Market Size (2024 - 2029)

Europe Pharmaceutical Glass Packaging Market Analysis

The Europe Pharmaceutical Glass Packaging Market size is estimated at USD 7.40 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 9.36 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 4.81% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The market is growing due to major vital factors, such as the continuously increasing demand for healthcare products. The region is focused on pharmaceutical R&D, production, and sales of medicines. The market is driven by demographic change, a rise in chronic diseases, and an increasing focus on prevention and self-medication.

• Rising life expectancy and an aging population have boosted the demand for some drugs, particularly those for degenerative diseases. Over the past decade, the industry has evolved, with small biotech start-ups being spun out of universities and a growing number of collaborations between industry players.
• The aging population often experiences a higher prevalence of degenerative diseases, leading to an increased demand for pharmaceuticals. Vials and ampoules are crucial in packaging and delivering medications, especially for conditions associated with aging. As the demand for drugs rises, so does the need for suitable packaging solutions, contributing to the vial and ampoules market growth.
• According to FEVE, in 2023, the Federation of European Manufacturers of Glass containers has a membership that collectively churns out over 20 million tonnes of glass annually. With 60 corporate members, they are part of nearly 20 distinct groups. Spread across 23 European States, these manufacturing plants include global blue-chip giants and significant players catering to the world's leading consumer brands. The region's wide glass container manufacturing sector would leverage the pharmaceutical glass packaging market.
• Further, according to the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), in 2023, medicines constitute, on average, 18.4% of health expenditures in Europe on pharmaceuticals and other medical goods. For costly diseases such as cancer and rheumatoid arthritis, medicines account for close to 20% of the total disease costs. Medicines can also generate additional savings, for instance, by substantially reducing costs in other areas of healthcare, including hospital stays and long-term care costs.
• Traditionally, glass was the preferred material for pharmaceutical packaging. However, due to raw material prices and other factors, these materials became expensive over time and could not provide economically viable solutions for packaging products for mass consumption. That marked the advent of plastics as an option in the pharmaceutical industry, which might hinder the market's growth in glass packaging.

Europe Pharmaceutical Glass Packaging Industry Segmentation

The type of glass container used as a pharmaceutical packaging material depends on the contents being packaged. This is due to the glass container's direct contact with the medicinal products. Packaging should not cause any physical or chemical interactions with the medications to alter their quality. Glass packaging offers a variety of advantages for the packaging of medical products. It is highly robust, suitable for bulk transportation, presents a low health risk, does not interact chemically with the product, and can shield light-sensitive medicinal products from ultraviolet radiation.

The European pharmaceutical glass packaging is segmented by product (bottles, vials, ampoules, cartridges, syringes, and other products) and country (Germany, United Kingdom, France, Italy, and Rest of Europe). The market sizes and forecasts are provided in value (USD) for all the above segments.