Pharmaceutical processing, which includes blending, granulation, milling, coating, tablet pressing, and filling, is how drugs are manufactured. Pharmaceutical production must adhere to stringent quality standards and specifications. Therefore, all pharmaceutical equipment must comply with good manufacturing practices (GMPs). Based on their method of manufacture, sterile products can be broadly divided into two categories. The first is sterilized after the drug formulations or parts have been filled and sealed in the final container and are also referred to as terminally sterilized goods. In order to prevent recontamination of the sterilized product, all subsequent processing, filling, and sealing operations are performed aseptically in the second scenario. This is known as aseptic pharmaceutical processing. It is acknowledged that aseptic processes are crucial to producing sterile formulations that cannot be terminally sterilized.
In addition, since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the demand for antibiotics, antivirals, steroids, and multivitamins has increased by a factor of ten. This motivates the pharmaceutical industry to increase production capacity within current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) guidelines. In recent years, the patents on several blockbuster drugs have expired, with more to follow in the coming years. This will allow low-cost generic alternatives to enter the market, likely increasing the number of drugs sold. By the end of 2021, when the patents for several prescription drugs expired in developed markets such as the U.S. and the U.K., the global sales of these medications were expected to decrease by more than hundreds of billions of dollars. However, increased sales volume is driven by increased sales of generic and biopharmaceutical equivalents of brand-name drugs. This increase in production volume is anticipated to drive the aseptic pharmaceutical processing equipment market.
In recent years, a significant increase in pharmaceutical sales has been observed, which can be attributed to the increasing prevalence of chronic disorders, the growing geriatric population, the high prevalence of infectious diseases, and the growing emphasis on targeted therapy. The increasing global demand for pharmaceuticals has fueled the global expansion of pharmaceutical products. Pharmaceutical manufacturers are conducting more research and clinical trials, which has increased pharmaceutical production industry productivity. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has increased pharmaceutical companies' efforts to develop effective antiviral medications and vaccines for SARS-CoV infection. In this context, establishing efficient workflows and processes to reduce the time and expenses associated with drug and vaccine development has become increasingly important.
North America is the most significant global aseptic pharma processing equipment market shareholder and is anticipated to exhibit a CAGR of 6.64% during the forecast period. North America is a crucial region for aseptic pharmaceutical processing. It is a hotbed of technological advancement, and major pharmaceutical corporations are rapidly adopting the automation trend to efficiently process drug formulations and maintain aseptic conditions. Government regulations and programs support market growth in this region, home to numerous businesses. Numerous aseptic pharma processing equipment manufacturers and service providers are in North America. In addition, there are numerous pharmaceutical giants in the region. Thus, the primary factor driving the market growth is the industry's increasing demand for advanced pharmaceutical equipment and automation to reduce time and labor costs.
Europe is projected to exhibit a CAGR of 7.75% over the forecast period. The expansion of the European region is primarily attributable to the rising demand for generics, other therapeutics, and other drugs, which increases the indirect burden on manufacturing facilities. With the introduction of COVID-19, numerous European companies have increased their production capacity and technological development to meet the demand for novel therapeutics. In 2021, the European Commission (EC) purchased an additional 150 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna for delivery in 2022. In addition, Moderna announced the new contract in a press release dated June 22, 2021. With this additional order, the total number of doses purchased and confirmed by the EC reaches 460 million. This increases market demand and growth for aseptic pharmaceutical processing equipment. In addition, the high market share of this region can be attributed to the large number of manufacturing companies that strive for consistent technological development of their products, such as aseptic pharma processing systems, equipment, and consumables.
The key global aseptic pharma processing equipment market players are GEA GA, AMCOR Limited, BOSCH GmbH, Industria Macchine Automatiche S.P.A., BD, SPX Flow, Inc., Du Pont, JBT, Weiler Engineering, Inc, Automated Systems of Tacoma (AST), Greatview Aseptic Packaging Co., Ltd, and others.