Pharmaceutical contract manufacturing market will reach $47.6 billion in 2012

Tuesday 9 October 2012, Amsterdam

A new report predicts that the world market for pharmaceutical contract manufacturing will be worth $47.6 bn in 2012. Between 2011 and 2016, the overall market will grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 6%. Demand for outsourcing will increase worldwide, driving revenue growth. Those findings and others appear in Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing: World Market Outlook 2012-2022.

In 2011, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing services formed the largest market sector, accounting for more than two thirds of revenues. APIs will account for the majority of revenues throughout the coming 10 years. Increased demand for generic drugs will drive revenue growth for emerging-market contract manufacturing organisations (CMOs). Highly potent API (HPAPI) manufacturing will drive growth in the US and Europe. Increased outsourcing of finished dosage manufacturing will also stimulate developed-market growth. Development of biologics will increase demand for injectable dosage manufacturing services, including fill-finish and lyophilisation, the report also notes.

Richard Lang, a pharmaceutical industry analyst, said: “Difficult economic conditions caused revenue to drop for many leading CMOs in recent years. Among the leading US and European market players, only a few achieved continuous revenue growth between 2009 and 2011. Many are now reporting an increased uptake of services, however. To remain competitive in the future, companies will need to react to trends in drug development. Companies investing in biologics manufacturing capacity will benefit from increased interest in this area.”

A study forecasts the leading national pharmaceutical contract manufacturing markets in terms of demand. In 2011, the leading national market was the US, accounting for over 40% of demand for outsourced manufacturing. Much of this demand is met by CMOs in the US and EU. However, pharmaceutical companies will increasingly use CMOs in India and China to supply APIs in the coming 10 years. Growth in national pharmaceutical markets in emerging countries will stimulate demand for outsourcing there. This demand will come from multinational companies seeking to enter the market, and domestic drug developers wanting to cut costs.

The updated report provides quantitative and qualitative analysis of the contract manufacturing industry and market. It shows revenue forecasts for leading sectors and national markets and identifies future trends that will affect companies. The work also discusses 20 leading CMOs, including Catalent, Lonza and Patheon.