EDITOUR PETplanet Insider Vol. 26 No. 07+08/25 www.petpla.net 12 Editour Mastering complexity in pharma packaging Alpla and Inden Pharma have had a joint venture Alpla Inden Pharma since 2023. The focus is on the production of pharmaceutical packaging for oral liquids, solids, ophthalmic, nasal, topical, buccal and parenteral applications. We met CEO and owner of Inden Pharma Juan Guillem González. Sponsors to date Interview with Alpla Inden Pharma // March 24, 2025 We met: CEO Juan Guillem Gonzáles Pharmaceutical packaging undergoes an approval process, sometimes lasting several years, so that the packaging remains unchanged for many years. On the one hand, this is a good basis for a lasting customer relationship; on the other hand, it is a challenge in production. Because part of the authorisation is also a precisely specified material. Depending on the barrier requirements, polyolefins or PET are used. And these margins must be used in exactly the same way over the entire life cycle. In addition, different guidelines have to be observed depending on the region. For Europe the EMA, FDA for North America, MHRA for Great Britain, PMDA for Japan, CDSCO for India, to name but a few. And so not only a large number of moulds are stacked up in the factory, but also an equally large number of different materials as bagged goods. The batches are too small to feed the plants with silage. It goes without saying that the design of the packaging, once approved, will not be further developed. The same applies not only to the bottle, but of course also to the caps, some of which are very complex. The situation is somewhat different in the standard range from Inden Pharma. The company offers containers in a wide range of sizes and neck finishes. This packaging is also produced on different materials depending on the required barrier properties. 75% of production is classic pharmaceutical packaging and around 25% is for veterinary medicine. Production is carried out using extrusion-blow moulding, traditional injection moulding, injection-blow moulding and injection-stretch-blow process. The last procedure in particular is probably hardly known anywhere in the world. Here, the injection mould is not only injected, but also blown directly. The production facilities are located in 6 large cleanrooms, most of which run automatically. Employees are only permanently present in the cleanrooms to shrink-wrap the bottles in large bags. In front of the rooms are chest-high pellet conveyors that transport the pellets from the bags into the plasticising units. With the JV, both companies can now demonstrate an even stronger global presence. Together with the Poland, Greece, and Germany, they will produce 1.500 million units in 2025. www.alplapharma.com by Alexander Büchler
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