Packaging doesn’t always get the spotlight. It’s often seen as the final step—something that happens after the real work is done. But that thinking is starting to shift.

As supply chains tighten, timelines compress, and therapies become more complex, packaging is playing a much bigger role in whether a product actually gets to market on time—and in the right condition. It’s also becoming a key lever in managing risk, improving patient experience, and keeping programs on track.

Contract Pharma spoke with John Lowry, Chairman & CEO, and Raymond Sell, Senior Vice President, Commercial Services, at Praxis Packaging Solutions, about how packaging is evolving—and why sponsors may need to rethink where it fits in the process.

Contract Pharma: Packaging is often treated as a final step—how should sponsors be thinking about it today?

Praxis Packaging Solutions: Packaging has historically been viewed as a downstream, late-stage operational step following development and manufacturing decisions. That perspective is no longer sufficient. Today, pharmaceutical packaging functions as a strategic lever that directly impacts patient safety, medication adherence, supply chain resilience, and regulatory compliance. For sponsors, packaging should be treated as an active driver of business and operational outcomes—supporting differentiation in competitive markets, improving the patient experience, and helping to identify and mitigate regulatory and execution risks earlier in the product lifecycle.

CP: Where do packaging decisions most often slow timelines or create delays?

Praxis: One of the most common challenges is delayed engagement on final packaging design, artwork development, and DSCSA serialization requirements. These are inherently time-intensive activities, and compressing them into a shortened timeline significantly increases the risk of error. Those errors frequently translate into production delays that could have been avoided. Proactive planning and earlier engagement in these activities materially reduce risk and help keep commercialization timelines on track.

CP: How can packaging partners help sponsors stay ahead of supply chain risk?

Praxis: The most effective supply chain risk mitigation strategies start well before a disruption occurs. Engaging a packaging partner early—particularly during brand identity, packaging design, and commercialization planning—allows sponsors to incorporate operational realities from the start. Contract packaging partners bring critical visibility into component sourcing, lead times, regulatory requirements, and potential execution constraints. Leveraging that expertise early allows sponsors to build flexibility into packaging design, sourcing strategies, and timelines, reducing the likelihood of disruption and improving overall supply chain resilience.

Top left: Praxis team member monitoring operations in real time; top center: automated bottling in operation; top right: large-scale, flexible packaging suite; bottom left: integrated injectables packaging; bottom right: Praxis Packaging Solutions’ primary and secondary packaging formats.

CP: What are the most common packaging bottlenecks—and how can they be avoided?

Praxis: One of the most common bottlenecks is delayed decision-making—whether in selecting a packaging partner, finalizing packaging formats, or aligning on long-term capacity requirements. Delaying these decisions reduces flexibility and places greater strain on timelines. The right contract packaging partner brings a holistic perspective, helping to anticipate constraints, align cross-functional priorities, and ensure programs move forward without unnecessary delays.

CP: Are you seeing increased demand for U.S.-based packaging solutions?

Praxis: We’re seeing a clear shift toward U.S. based manufacturing and packaging strategies. Sponsors are increasingly moving final dosage manufacturing and finished packaging closer to the end market—often by bringing bulk product or active pharmaceutical ingredients into the U.S. for domestic completion. This evolution is being driven by the need to reduce exposure to tariffs, transportation complexity, and broader geopolitical uncertainty. By localizing final packaging, sponsors gain greater control over supply chain execution, improve predictability, and position themselves to respond more effectively to ongoing global uncertainty.

CP: How are growing SKU complexity and faster timelines changing expectations for packaging partners?

Praxis: Expectations for packaging partners are evolving. The role is no longer limited to execution—partners are expected to contribute technical expertise, operational insight, and the flexibility required to support increasingly complex programs. Managing a higher volume of SKUs, smaller batch sizes, and compressed timelines—without compromising quality or compliance—is now a baseline expectation. The real value comes from partners who anticipate challenges, offer solutions, and provide consistent performance at scale.

CP: How important is coordination between CDMOs, packaging providers, and sponsors?

Praxis: Coordination across CDMOs, packaging providers, and sponsors is critical to ensuring a smooth path from manufacturing to market. Fragmentation across these functions introduces risk at every handoff—impacting timelines, quality, and overall execution. A well-structured, turnkey approach can deliver significant total cost value, particularly for sponsors without the in-house capabilities or bandwidth to manage multiple partners across the commercial manufacturing and packaging process. At that level, coordination becomes a strategic advantage—enabling more predictable execution, tighter control, and greater confidence in bringing products to market.

CP: What role does packaging play in patient experience and adherence today?

Praxis: Packaging is becoming a critical touchpoint in how therapies are experienced beyond the clinical setting. It directly influences patient understanding, ease of use, and consistency of adherence. As delivery models and digital capabilities evolve, packaging increasingly functions as an extension of the therapy itself—shaping the patient experience in ways that directly impact real-world outcomes. In that context, execution quality and consistency are ultimately reflected where they matter most: at the point of patient interaction.

A Praxis team member supports secondary packaging and kitting operations with a focus on quality and consistency. According to Praxis, “If packaging gets pushed to the end, you’re usually fixing problems instead of avoiding them.”

CP: How does the ACI acquisition—and your expanded Southeast footprint—enhance your capabilities and improve service for customers?

Praxis: The expansion enhances both our geographic footprint and technical capabilities, strengthening domestic supply chain flexibility and resilience through expanded Southeast U.S. packaging capacity. For organizations in the southern United States, the Lakeland facility further improves speed and efficiency by reducing transit times, lowering logistics costs, and enhancing responsiveness. The facility is also positioned as the future home of our injectables Center of Excellence, strengthening our ability to support both CMO partners and sponsors with more complex, specialized packaging and manufacturing requirements.

CP: You recently expanded in Grand Rapids. What does that new facility bring in terms of capacity and capability?

Praxis: Our new 125,000-square-foot facility further expands our 500,000-square-foot Grand Rapids campus, growing our oral solid dose bottle and blister packaging capabilities, while also strengthening our serialization infrastructure and related services. Designed with flexibility in mind, the site can be rapidly adapted to support a wide range of prescription pharmaceutical and OTC products. This added capacity strengthens our ability to meet growing demand, adapt to shifting portfolio needs, and maintain reliable timelines as complexity and volume increase. Praxis has CDMO partners on the East Coast and West Coast U.S. that we’ve established a structured path from early collaboration and commercial alignment through quoting, onboarding, and commencement of commercial production.

CP: What will separate leading packaging partners over the next few years?

Praxis: Leading packaging partners will increasingly be defined by a combination of operational reliability, available capacity, customer service, digital innovation, sustainability, and a proven track record of regulatory compliance. For sponsors, the real differentiator will be partners that go beyond execution— bringing foresight, adaptability, and the ability to function as an integrated extension of their organization. Praxis Packaging Solutions’ automated bottling line enables efficient, high-quality pharmaceutical packaging at scale.