Shilpi Mehrotra
Project Manager, Chemicals & Materials Practice
Kline Group, Global Market Analysis Database
Parsippany, USA

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals are integral components of human health throughout the world. Oral form is the most widely used route of drug administration worldwide. Consumption of specialty oral solid-dosage-form (OSDF) excipients in the key regions is estimated at USD 3.5 billion. Continued expansion of healthcare and growth in generics are key drivers for overall OSDF excipients, and several application and functionality trends shape the market of different excipient types. Biologics increasingly draw attention towards parenteral pharmaceuticals and drive the demand for parenteral excipients.

INTRODUCTION

Pharmaceuticals is one of the largest and most essential industries worldwide. The global pharmaceutical market is worth over USD 1.1 trillion as of 2016 and is expected to grow in the range of 4%-7% annually over the next five years. Among the several routes of drug administration prevalent in the pharmaceutical industry, oral route is the most widely used, accounting for around 55% of the global pharmaceuticals market value. Furthermore, within orals, solid formulations are the most preferred dosages for their ease of administration, dosage accuracy, stability, and cost-effectiveness. OSDFs is a key growth segment for the global healthcare industry, especially with the growing emphasis on expanding affordable healthcare. Increasing patent expirations of the branded drugs is boosting the volume of generic OSDFs globally, which, in turn, drives the consumption of specialty excipients. Tablets continue to be the dominant pharmaceutical dosage type globally, followed by capsules. However, the oral solid doses industry faces some competition from injectables because of the increasingly difficult-to-formulate APIs in the drug pipeline, as well a ...