Market Overview
The Global Pharmaceutical CDMO Market was valued USD 160.12 billion in 2020, and it is expected to reach USD 236.61 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 6.5%, during the period of forecast period (2021-2026). The CMO/CDMO service sector is uniquely positioned to address some of the challenges that drug developers are facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has impacted multiple aspects of the pharma and biopharma industry, from drug development, clinical trials, supplies, manufacturing, to supply chain logistics. However, the drug shortages due to COVID-19 are limited, and they are expected to remain so for short-term, due to stockpiles of pharmaceuticals, APIs, globally.
As a result of the growing demand for generic medicines and biologics, the capital-intensive nature of the business, and the complex manufacturing requirements, many pharmaceutical companies have identified the potential profitability in contracting with a CMO (contract manufacturing outsourcing) for both clinical and commercial stage manufacturing.
The biggest factor driving the growth of CMOs in the pharmaceutical industry is the growing need for state-of-the-art processes and production technologies, which have proven highly effective in meeting regulatory requirements.
The United States is one of the largest R&D spenders in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector. According to Axios, a prominent online news company in the United States, as of 2018, pharmaceutical industries in the country had the tenth-highest average after-tax profit levels, when compared to more than 100 different industries. While drug companies are responsible for 23% of the US health revenue, they also make 63% of the total profits.
R&D sections of several pharmaceutical companies, especially operating at small scales, were condensed after the emergence of CRO players. As more CROs have started to offer research services with valuable cost, they won the competition with in-house pharmaceutical R&D departments. CROs also follow several strategies to stay ahead of top pharmaceutical players.
