Pharmaceutical Glass Tubing Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The pharmaceutical glass tubing market was valued at USD 13.55 billion in 2020, and it is projected to reach USD 19.98 billion by 2026, and grow at a CAGR of 6.29% over the forecast period. With the outbreak of COVID-19 in different parts of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, and others, there remains uncertainty in the supply chain and expansion of glass tubing. For instance, In March 2021, the lockdown was imposed again in Malaysia, resulting in shrinkage in plants and manufacturing facilities. On similar lines, the United Kingdom recently imposed a lockdown in the country due to the growing new delta variants. However, the pharmaceutical glass tubing market's outlook remains positive due to the growth in vaccines and drugs by the pharmaceutical industry.

Key Highlights

• The rapidly growing pharmaceutical industry across the world is boosting the growth of the market. The introduction of stringent laws to enhance the quality and integrity of domestically manufactured drugs leads to an increase in the use of glass for pharmaceutical packaging products. Additionally, the increasing demand for sterile medical packaging products from the pharmaceutical industries further drives the market's growth during the forecast period.
• The increasing number of drugs packaged in the glass medium drives the demand for glass-based injectables and ampules. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 422 million people have diabetes worldwide. The increasing number further driving the demand for penicillin, thereby contributing to the growth of the market
• Moreover, prominent manufacturers and suppliers have been focusing on shifting their base to China, India, and Brazil due to increasing opportunities offered by the pharmaceutical industry in these countries, especially in the generics sector. For instance, in June 2021, SCHOTT AG, a prominent player in the Glass tubing market, launched a new tubing plant in China. The new factory eases the supply chain pressure on pharma glass tubing and helps raise quality standards for safely storing and packaging medications. The factory has an initial capacity of 20,000 metric tons of glass and room for further expansion. The company is also focusing on ensuring the safety of tubes by using AI and Big Data. Each tube produced is inspected 100% based on the company's perfeXion process.
• However, plastics used in medical applications adhere to rigid quality and safety standards, with rigorous testing for non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, biocompatible characteristics. Over the past few quarters, silicone's dominance in the medical and pharmaceutical marketplace expanded, and various competitive elastic materials have been developed. External effects on the tubing are often overlooked compared to the internal impacts.

Key Market Trends

Vials is Expected to Witness Significant Growth in Pharmaceutical sector

• Vials are also easily recyclable and are considered eco-friendly material. This has shifted the focus of end-users from conventional containers to vials and, in turn, has created a lucrative demand for these products across the medical and healthcare sectors.​
• Compared with other glass packaging products, glass vials are easy to clean, dust-resistant, and non-reactive with the fluids stored in it. Owing to its impermeability and chemical inertness for drug product stability, glass vials are used for the packaging of liquid and lyophilized drugs. Besides, their transparency provides ease of inspection. Major players in the space are focusing on delivering custom-sized vials in an eco-friendly packaging solution. This is due to a rise in specialized procedures such as ophthalmology, cardiology, orthopedics, plastic surgery, etc.​
• The Department of Health and Human Services earmarked USD 57 million to help expand Corning's capacity to manufacture coated glass vials and tubing to address needs related to the US government's COVID-19 vaccination campaign. The contract will accelerate the construction of a 2,000-degree furnace in New Jersey that will extrude molten glass into lengths of medical-grade tubing hundreds of feet long. The tubes will be divided into vials and shipped out with the vaccine.
• Similarly, in May 2021, the United States supplied vaccine components to India to manufacture two crore doses of Covishield. The country also sent a separate shipment of over 81,000 vials of Remdesivir injections in Mumbai, India.
• Moreover, major vial manufacturers have progressed significantly in terms of converting and packaging process. For instance, automated inspection systems are being used to inspect all key surfaces of the vial packaging and detect defects invisible to the human eye. On a similar note, in February 2020, Stevanato Group and Bormioli Pharma signed a collaboration agreement for glass-molded vials development in EZ-fill configuration. The agreement enabled biopharma customers, contract filling organizations, and research laboratories to receive Bormioli Pharma’s proprietary primary containers in Ompi’s industry-recognized EZ-fill secondary packaging configuration.

Asia Pacific is Expected to Witness the Significant Growth in the Market

• The Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Sector in China is one of the world's largest markets, primarily driven by ageing population. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the Chinese population is estimated to grow to 1.42 billion by 2026. According to the Indian Express, approximately 50% of the total vaccine vials come from China. The region is one of the world's largest vial producers, and with the release of COVID-19 vaccines, there has been increasing demand for glass tubing across the country.
• Many companies in the region have been focusing on expanding their vial production facilities to cope with domestic and global needs amid the COVID-19 vaccine rush. Some companies' annual production capacity has increased to tens of billions of units. Sinopharm and Sinovac Biotech have adjusted their capacity, such as by reducing the production of other items, to give priority to vaccine vials. Such initiatives have increased the demand for borosilicate glass tubing and has leveraged many opportunities for vendors in the market.
• Another vital pharmaceutical product includes the production of Remdesivir, which increased the demand for Type 1 borosilicate glass tubes in 2020 and 2021 to manufacture vials. The Government of India approved 57 manufacturing sites for Remdesivir to increase production capacity and manage the shortage of Remdesivir in India. The production capacity of the Remdesivir drug has crossed almost 1.05 crore vials per month, as of May 2021, a nearly three-fold increase from 37 lakh vials per month in April 2021, further driving the market in India.
• The investments of Japan’s government in the pharmaceutical industry in the development of vaccines and drugs show an increasing need for glass tubing for the manufacturing of vials, ampoules, and syringes in the region.
• Regions such as South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia have a significant share in the APAC glass tubing market. South Korea is home to more than 40 pharmaceutical multinationals. It is expected to be a global biotech and pharmaceutical hub by 2025, driven by international partnerships and development in the export of finished formulations and robust generics.

Competitive Landscape

The Global Pharmaceutical Glass Tubing market is moderately consolidated, owing to the presence of many regional and global players. Some of the players in the market are Schott AG, Nipro Pharma Corporation, Corning Incorporated, and Nippon Electric Glass Co. Ltd

• April 2020 - Corning Inc. supported China’s effort to help mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the regional pharmaceutical supply chain by donating its Type I borosilicate glass tubing. This high-quality tubing will be converted into 5 million to 10 million ampoules and vials that will then be supplied to the Chinese pharmaceutical companies for parenteral packaging of drug therapies.
• February 2020 - Piramal Glass Ltd announced an investment of INR 300 Crores (USD 42 million) in its greenfield project in Jambusar, Gujarat, India. The expansion plan includes 1 new furnace with 7 new manufacturing lines across 300,000 sq. ft. plant, catering primarily to high-end specialty pharmaceutical markets primarily for exports to countries in Asia, Europe, and the United States.

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• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
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