A supporting structure for concurrently supporting a plurality of containers having a predetermined length for medical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic applications comprises a carrier having a plurality of supporting means for supporting the containers on the carrier, optionally, at least in a first orientation (e.g. upright) or in a second orientation (upside-down or also upright).According to the invention the carrier is matched to the lengths of the containers such that the upper ends of the containers are arranged in the first position at the same distance to the carrier as the lower ends of the containers in the second position and that the upper ends and/or lower ends of the containers are accessible for a further processing of the containers while they are supported on the carrier.Thus, there is no need to adjust the heights of processing stations in which the containers are treated or processed further, regardless of whether the containers are supported on the carrier in the first position or in the second position, because the upper ends and lower ends of the containers are disposed on the same height level in both positions (orientations) of the containers. According to the invention this facilitates the treatment and processing of containers considerably because the effort in terms of adjustment, control and automation can be considerably simplified.