Primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging are the three basic varieties, and it’s critical to realize that each level of packaging has a distinct function and must meet a certain standard to deliver goods to customers in a reliable, efficient, and consistent manner. The medication product is enclosed and contained in primary packaging.
The secondary packaging, which bundles packages and further safeguards or labels the pharmaceutical product, is the outer packaging of the primary packaging. The handling, storing, and delivery of bulk materials all involve tertiary packaging. In the pharmaceutical sector, a vial or blister (primary packaging) may be packaged into a carton (secondary packaging), which would then be packed into a shipping case.
In the drug supply chain, secondary packaging is crucial because it protects and maintains the integrity, quality, identity, and stability of life-saving medications. Furthermore, when subjected to typical handling, these materials guard against product leakage and wear and tear.
The past several years have seen an increase in the manufacturing of biological products, which has boosted demand for and increased the supply of secondary packaging materials. The American pharmaceutical business creates a wide range of brand-new medications each year that have significant medicinal advantages.
According to P&S Intelligence, the biologics CDMO secondary packaging market is on track to hit USD 3,622.6 million by 2030. The pharmaceutical business is expanding, medication manufacturing is rising, and the incidence of various illnesses, such as genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and chronic diseases, is on the rise.
According to clinicaltrials.gov, over 30,000 studies were counted in the U.S. during the same year that over 0.3 million clinical trials were registered. Additionally, according to information supplied by CDER, FDA, about 48 innovative medications were authorized in 2019.
Boxes Are Widely Use in Biologics CDMO Secondary Packaging
With almost USD 1 billion in sales, boxes became the industry’s leading type category for biologics CDMO secondary packaging, and it will continue to rule the market in the years to come.
Biological goods, including frozen and controlled ambient biologics, are specifically constructed and designed into boxes. Additionally, they provide the ideal compromise between payload and temperature management.
Blister packs held the greatest market share among the principal package types in 2021, about 40%, and are anticipated to see the highest CAGR throughout the forecast period. This is because they represent the most important category of packaging containers for which the majority of CDMOs offer secondary packaging services.

Pramod has around 7 years of experience in market research and consulting services for healthcare industry.