Securing the Pharma Supply Chain: Insights on Secondary Packaging from INTERPHEX 2026
John Jansen, Head of Global Marketing & Intelligence, CurTec
This interview with John Jansen, conducted at INTERPHEX 2026, explores the evolving role of secondary packaging in pharmaceutical supply chains. It highlights how packaging is increasingly central to risk management, product integrity, and regulatory compliance, particularly for biologics and high-value therapeutics. The discussion also addresses key industry challenges, including contamination risks, global distribution complexity, sustainability pressures, and the growing demand for robust, reusable, and performance-driven packaging systems
1. INTERPHEX 2026 brought together stakeholders from across the pharmaceutical development lifecycle. What were your key observations from this year’s event, particularly around packaging and distribution trends?
What stood out to me at INTERPHEX 2026 was the stronger connection between manufacturing, quality, logistics and distribution. Packaging is increasingly seen as part of the broader control strategy, not simply as something added at the end of production. This matters because pharmaceutical supply chains are becoming more global, outsourced and complex. Materials may pass through several partners and environments before reaching their destination. For secondary packaging, that means performance, reliability, documentation, traceability and resilience are becoming just as important as cost and availability.
2. Your presentation focused on “Key considerations for secondary packaging.” Why is secondary packaging becoming increasingly important in today’s global pharmaceutical supply chain?
Secondary packaging is becoming more important because conditions outside the controlled manufacturing environment are often less predictable than those inside it. Pharmaceutical materials may be produced under strict GMP conditions, but still need protection during storage, handling and transport. Secondary packaging helps protect against moisture, dust, contamination, physical damage and mishandling, especially for high-value ingredients, sensitive powders and biologics-related materials. It should not be seen as a purely logistical item, because it can directly influence product integrity, supply reliability and quality assurance.
3. What are some of the most common risks pharmaceutical products face during storage and transportation once they leave controlled manufacturing environments?
Once pharmaceutical materials leave controlled manufacturing environments, they may face moisture ingress, temperature variation, physical impact, dust or particulate contamination, electrostatic issues, closure failure, incorrect handling and insufficient protection during warehousing or transport. Often, the risk is not one dramatic event, but a combination of smaller weaknesses in the chain. A container may be closed incorrectly, handled roughly or stored in unsuitable conditions. Packaging that is difficult to handle, clean, inspect or close properly also increases the chance of human error.
4. As biologics and high-value therapeutics continue to grow, how are packaging expectations evolving for biopharma suppliers?
As biologics and high-value therapeutics continue to grow, expectations for packaging are becoming more demanding. The value of the material is often high, while the tolerance for failure is very low. A packaging issue can lead to product loss, batch rejection, supply disruption or significant financial impact. Biopharma suppliers therefore look for reliable product protection, strong closure performance, cleanliness, traceability and compatibility with quality systems. Packaging is increasingly assessed as part of risk management, including performance under real storage and distribution conditions.
5. In your experience, what are the biggest mistakes companies make when selecting secondary packaging solutions for pharmaceutical materials?
One of the biggest mistakes is selecting secondary packaging mainly on unit cost. In pharmaceutical supply chains, the cost of packaging is usually small compared with the value of the material it protects. A cheaper solution can become expensive if it leads to product loss, contamination risk or extra quality controls. Another mistake is treating secondary packaging as a generic logistics item. Companies should consider product sensitivity, transport route, storage conditions, closure integrity, cleaning requirements, handling processes, regulatory expectations and the consequences of failure.
6. How can pharmaceutical manufacturers balance product protection, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency when designing packaging strategies?
The best starting point is a structured risk assessment. Manufacturers should define what needs to be protected, what the product is sensitive to, where it will travel, how it will be handled and which regulatory or quality requirements apply. The balance comes from choosing packaging that provides the right level of protection without adding unnecessary operational complexity. Standardized, validated packaging platforms, clear specifications, qualified suppliers and well-documented handling procedures can improve efficiency while maintaining control. A good packaging strategy should support quality, compliance and usability.
7. What role does packaging play in minimizing contamination risks and maintaining product integrity during global distribution?
Packaging plays a direct role in protecting pharmaceutical materials from external contamination, moisture, dust, particulates and physical exposure. For sensitive materials such as powders, intermediates and high-value ingredients, maintaining integrity during distribution is essential. Good packaging helps preserve the controlled state created during manufacturing and supports safer handling, storage and transport. However, packaging should not be viewed in isolation. It is part of a wider contamination-control strategy that also includes manufacturing practices, cleaning procedures, operator training, logistics conditions and quality systems.
8. Sustainability remains a major topic across the pharma industry. How is the packaging sector responding to growing demands for more sustainable secondary packaging solutions?
The packaging sector is responding through more durable and reusable packaging, recyclable materials, reduced material use, improved logistics efficiency and packaging systems with a longer service life. In pharmaceutical applications, sustainability must always be balanced with product protection, hygiene, safety and compliance. The most sustainable option is not necessarily the lightest or cheapest one. If packaging fails and product is lost, the environmental and financial impact can be much greater than the packaging itself. Properly managed reusable systems can support both sustainability and supply reliability.
9. How are innovations in reusable and high-performance packaging helping companies improve both supply chain resilience and environmental performance?
Reusable and high-performance packaging can improve resilience by providing stronger, more reliable protection across repeated distribution cycles. This is valuable in global supply chains, where materials may face different climates, transport modes, handling practices and storage conditions. From an environmental perspective, reusable packaging can reduce reliance on repeated single-use alternatives, provided the system is properly managed. The benefit depends on cleaning, inspection, return logistics, lifetime, repairability and end-of-life recycling. Reuse should be treated as a complete system, not just a product feature.
10. From a regulatory standpoint, what key considerations should pharmaceutical companies keep in mind when evaluating secondary packaging systems?
From a regulatory and quality perspective, companies should consider material suitability, cleanliness, closure performance, documentation, traceability, supplier qualification and change control. If the packaging is reusable, cleaning procedures, inspection criteria and lifecycle management also become important. Even when secondary packaging is not in direct contact with the product, it can still be quality-critical if failure could affect product integrity, contamination risk or supply continuity. Companies should also evaluate how packaging is specified, purchased, received, cleaned, stored, used and documented within the GMP environment.
11. With pharmaceutical supply chains becoming increasingly global and complex, how can companies better prepare for disruptions during transit and distribution?
Companies can prepare for disruptions by designing packaging and logistics strategies around realistic conditions, not ideal ones. Shipments can be delayed, rerouted, held at customs, exposed to temperature variation, handled by multiple parties or stored temporarily in less controlled environments. Robust packaging helps reduce these risks, but preparation also requires qualified logistics partners, clear handling instructions, alternative routes, buffer strategies, monitoring where appropriate and a proper understanding of weak points in the chain. Supply-chain resilience starts before the disruption happens.
12. Did you notice any emerging technologies or innovations at INTERPHEX 2026 that you believe will significantly influence pharmaceutical packaging in the coming years?
What I noticed was less about one single breakthrough and more about the convergence of several developments. Smarter monitoring, digital quality systems, automation, traceability, improved containment and integrated supply-chain thinking are all becoming more relevant to pharmaceutical packaging. For secondary packaging, innovations around track-and-trace, smart sensors, automation-compatible packaging, improved closure systems and better data capture will likely become more important. At the same time, meaningful innovation can also come from improving usability, reliability, cleanability, reusability and performance under real distribution conditions.
13. How important is collaboration between packaging providers, manufacturers, and logistics partners in ensuring safe and compliant pharmaceutical distribution?
Collaboration is essential because packaging performance depends on the full chain, not only on the container itself. The packaging provider understands the design and performance of the packaging. The pharmaceutical manufacturer understands the product, quality requirements and GMP environment. The logistics partner understands real distribution conditions. If these parties work separately, important risks can be missed. A solution may look suitable technically but may not fit cleaning procedures, operator handling, warehouse conditions or transport routes. Safe distribution requires an aligned system.
14. Looking ahead, what major trends do you foresee shaping the future of secondary packaging in the pharmaceutical and biopharma industries over the next five years?
Over the next five years, I expect secondary packaging to become more strategic in pharmaceutical and biopharma supply chains. Growth in biologics, specialty medicines and high-value materials will increase the need for reliable product protection. Global and outsourced supply chains will require robust packaging that performs under diverse conditions. Sustainability will push companies toward reusable, recyclable and longer-life solutions without compromising safety or compliance. I also expect more focus on documentation, traceability, supplier qualification and integration with digital quality systems.
Author Bio
John Jansen is Head of Global Marketing & Intelligence at CurTec, based in the Netherlands. He works at the intersection of pharmaceutical packaging, market needs and innovation, with a focus on how high-performance secondary packaging can help protect valuable materials throughout increasingly complex supply chains. His perspective combines practical experience in pharmaceutical packaging with a broader international background in consumer goods and technology-driven B2B markets. Earlier in his career, he held senior marketing and business roles at P&G/Gillette, Genesys and Whirlpool.
