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Parma – Bormioli Pharma, a global leader in the production of containers for pharmaceutical use and medical devices, has always been a promoter of innovation, which translates not only into the development and adoption of advanced technological solutions, but also into a consulting approach aimed at transforming the future of the pharmaceutical industry and the world of healthcare.
The needs of end users and the industry can vary greatly, so it becomes necessary to switch on active listening processes to build solutions that are truly consistent with their needs.
The role of the pharmaceutical packaging manufacturer has evolved: they are no longer just a supplier but a strategic partner who supports the customer across the entire value chain—from identifying needs and selecting materials to industrializing the solution on production lines.:. With this purpose, Bormioli Pharma has created Invents, an open and collaborative platform that positions the company as an effective mobilizer of innovation, capable of collecting requests, ideas and needs from customers, patients and health professionals, to imagine and design together the possible evolutions of pharmaceutical packaging.
After a phase of listening and dialogue, Bormioli Pharma identifies the partners for prototype development, analyzes market scenarios relevant to defining use cases, and collaborates with customers to create implementation models that transform innovative insights into market-ready products. The innovation methodology in Bormioli Pharma: Invents
Invents is an innovation process divided into four phases and takes place within an ecosystem that goes beyond the boundaries of the company in an open innovation approach and extends to customers – pharmaceutical companies – and customers’ customers, i.e. patients. The first phase of this real pharmaceutical co-design laboratory is inspiration, which, through ethnographic research or discussion groups, aims to listen to people and identify, together, their real needs. This is followed by a phase of reworking and discussion aimed at identifying potential innovation opportunities and initiating a creative process based on an open innovation approach—engaging research centers, universities, startups, and other technological and scientific organizations. The third step turns ideas into prototypes and initiates market dialogue using a “fast-to-product” approach inspired by the lean startup methodology. This phase also focuses on building a network of innovators essential to bringing the project to life. The ultimate goal is to develop sustainable business models that allow prototypes to be transformed into products, and therefore to get them into patients’ hands in less time.
Co-innovation along the supply chain as a driver for the development of patient-centered packaging
Being able to involve customers – i.e. pharmaceutical companies – in this process in the early stages of drug development, such as at the end of the non-clinical development, is key to unleash the potential of packaging innovation, tailoring the container design around the drug requirements and the final users’ needs.
During 2024, Bormioli Pharma involved an internal team of experts with different skills and functions, more than 20 professionals from international pharma manufacturers and 12 patients of different age groups, in different workshops aimed at explore the emerging needs and identify some concepts to be developed.
The analysis projects examined 4 types of drugs:
- reconstitution antibiotics
- pediatric oral liquids (e.g. syrups)
- drops for oral administration with vertical dropper
- drops for oral administration with pipette dropper
“This Innovation lab has been an incredible experience” commented Georges Abinader, Global Packaging Manager of Opella Healthcare France. “During the workshop we have been able to identify collectively packaging ideas that truly resonate with consumer needs”.
“Properly addressing emerging consumer trends and delivering innovation is a key challenge for our industry” Modestino Guerriero Packaging & Device Development Engineering of Novartis stated. “For this reason, we are glad to participate to laboratory sessions involving the whole supply chain, listening to consumers’ needs – for example, in terms of inclusion and sustainability – and crafting new ideas that could undertake a development process to become industrial products”.
The results of the innovation labs and future developments
During the patient listening phase, multiple barriers to drug administration emerged, making it difficult to take and some of these concerns the adopted packaging. In particular, oral drugs in drops are uncomfortable to manage when out of home, with openings and droppers that are not very functional, especially for elderly or people with disabilities.
Investigations into antibiotic drugs and pediatric oral liquids reveal uncertainties around dosage accuracy, correct administration procedures, challenging management, and significant product waste due to inefficient packaging formats. In the subsequent phase of reworking and collective discussion—conducted with pharmaceutical professionals and supported by Bormioli Pharma experts—ideas and solutions were developed to address some of these critical issues. For example, the concept of creating a container format that could flexibly accommodate various dosages emerged as a way to minimize waste. Additionally, the potential to integrate digital elements into the packaging was explored to enhance accessibility to important drug information. The proposals that emerged were subsequently refined by professional designers. Building on these initial designs, Bormioli Pharma will develop new prototypes in the coming months, which will then be discussed with both the companies involved in the workshop and other potentially interested pharmaceutical companies. This initiative allowed pharmaceutical companies to engage briefly in Bormioli Pharma’s innovation process—a step toward promoting the idea that longer-term collaborations, innovation methodologies centered on user experience, attention to user behavior, and patient-centricity can become best practices in the development of new packaging solutions.
