The rise of probiotics

Paul Dupont explains how growing trends in the consumer healthcare industry signal promising market opportunities for leading nutraceutical and pharmaceutical companies.

While originally regarded strictly as a specialty market, probiotic supplements are now mainstream. According to LexisNexis, 231 probiotic products were launched in 2008, compared with 34 just three years prior; 75 percent of women report being interested in a digestive system 'makeover'. Distinguished medical journals confirm the industry's credibility by publishing an increasing number of clinical trials with the popularity of probiotics being measured by the $43 million drugstore sales in 2008. Notably, probiotics are characterized as "the vital healthcare concept of the 21st century," in Probiotics - A Global Update of Market Trends & Opportunities.

Reputation and R&D are keys to the competitive advantage. The elements that bring success to leading nutraceutical and pharmaceutical companies - global reputations, sophisticated research and development, and savvy marketing - position them to excel in the consumer healthcare industry and awareness of probiotics has grown exponentially in the past decade. Some estimates indicate, for example, that nearly half of Americans know of probiotics. Yet a significantly smaller percentage understands their benefits. This disparity between awareness and understanding gives the top nutraceutical and pharmaceutical companies an advantage - consumers associate perceived benefits with the companies whose name they recognize and reputation they trust. 

Users of probiotics demand the proven clinical research that an established nutraceutical or pharmaceutical company can provide. This clinical substantiation influences their purchase preference and in the process creates a valued customer because probiotics consumers are loyal brand users. According to the Natural Marketing Institute, nearly half of probiotics users report that even in a sluggish economy they will pay a premium for what they perceive to be high-quality supplements.   

The pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry's well-established research and development operations position them to identify and introduce new consumer healthcare products beyond digestive health predominantly addressed by the probiotics market. Ropack is uniquely positioned to manufacture and package probiotics. For the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry, a pivotal step in the decision to enter the consumer healthcare market is the creation of a strategy for outsourcing the manufacturing and packaging of these sensitive products.

Since 2004, Ropack has worked with biopharmaceutical and world-class probiotic organizations. Our low relative humidity packaging is between 20 percent and 50 percent RH year-round, and the excursion period out of cold storage is tracked in the batch dossier. Once packaged, products are returned to the cold chamber until they are released and shipments are prepared. Cold room temperatures are maintained at 4-5°C and are temperature mapped and under alarm in the unlikely event that the temperature should drop below 1.5° C or rise above 8.5°C.

Our common current probiotics packaging includes sachets, Alu tubes, CSP flip-top vials, cold form blister and blister with individual desiccant. At Ropack, we use our expertise and experience to meet your needs with creativity and agility. It is our dedication to client satisfaction that is your best guarantee of a lasting and trustworthy relationship. We welcome your next packaging challenge. 

Ropack offers turnkey primary and secondary pharmaceutical packaging services of solid oral dosages, tablets, powder and encapsulation into blisters, pouches, bottles and carded blisters in facilities that are cGMP compliant and FDA certified. We are competitive, flexible and agile, supporting clinical trials, short-run startups, commercial production and warehousing and distribution services for more than 90 US, Canadian and European pharmaceutical and nutraceutical customers. Our proven track record in new product launches will help support and accelerate your go-to-market timeline.

At Ropack, we value our culture of innovation and continuous improvement and are uniquely qualified to support and fast track product launches of consumer health, OT and Rx products for global pharmaceutical companies. 

Paul Dupont is Director of Business Development North America for Ropack. He has over 20 years experience launching new business development initiatives in the food, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries, and expanding market presence to new geographic territories.