Clinical Trial Supplies Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Clinical Phase (Phase I, Phase II, Phase III), By Product & Service, By End-use, By Therapeutic Use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

Report Overview

The global clinical trial supplies market size was valued at USD 1.9 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.0% from 2021 to 2028. Globalization, rise in the number of clinical trials, and rise in the number of biologics and biosimilar drugs in clinical trials are among major factors expected to drive the market. Rapid technological advancements in supply chain management are also expected to contribute to the growth of the market. The adoption of a supply chain management system is increasing due to rising pressure to reduce R&D expenditure and increase operational efficiency, as clinical trial supplies account for a large share of the total R&D expenditure of biopharmaceutical companies.

The outbreak of COVID-19 has accelerated certain new models in the market to ease the crisis and to cope up with changing trends. The implementation of virtual trials, which has been an underpinning technology, is gradually gaining popularity and is expected to witness considerable growth in the coming years. The pandemic has led to certain restrictions, such as social distancing and travel restrictions, owing to which around 80.00% of sites have canceled or put on hold at least one clinical trial. Therefore, in order to avoid such situations, virtual trials are gradually being adopted, which allows the implementation of innovative approaches to trials and helps ensure a better patient experience.

There has been a significant rise in the number of biologics and temperature-sensitive drugs in clinical trials. Currently, 38.0% of pharmaceutical drugs are temperature-sensitive and 35.0% of late-phase pharmaceutical drugs are biologics. This number is expected to increase in the future, as the demand for biologics is growing owing to lesser adverse effects as compared to traditional ties for the storage of temperature-sensitive drugs. Hence, the rise in the number of biologics in clinical trials is expected to increase the demand for cold chain facilities. It has been estimated that eight out of the top ten biopharmaceutical products will require cold chain facilities by 2022. The high demand for biosimilars in developing as well as developed economies are expected to further boost the cold chain supply, thereby contributing to the growth of the clinical trial supplies market over the forecast period.

The majority of clinical trials are currently being conducted in developing economies. The increasing cost of clinical trials and complications in the recruitment of patients have encouraged biopharmaceutical companies to outsource clinical trials to regions such as Asia Pacific, Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. Disease variation in developing economies further aids biopharmaceutical companies to perform clinical trials on rare diseases. Some regions, such as Asia Pacific, also provide greater economic benefits to biopharmaceutical companies, as governments in Singapore and China allocate funds to promote biomedical research. In Latin America, patient recruitment is easy due to reduced language barriers, which can help obtain informed consent easily, resulting in a faster clinical trial process.

Clinical Phase Insights

As of 2020, the phase I clinical trial supplies segment is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of 6.5% during the forecast period. However, phase III trials dominated this segment due to the high requirement of supply chain management in this phase. Even though the phase I clinical trials segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate owing to growing R&D activities in the biotechnology space, phase III clinical trials are likely to dominate the market during the forecast period.

Phase III clinical trials are more complex than other phases. Although the number of drugs in this phase is comparatively low, the complexity associated with this phase is highest. The failure rate in this phase is the highest as the sample size and study design require complex dosing at an optimum level. The loss associated with the failure is with respect to human and financial, and a majority of failures are due to noncompliance with safety and efficacy standards. Such a scenario may surge the demand for efficient supply chain and logistics, which, in turn, is expected to positively impact market growth.

Product & Services Insights

In 2020, the supply chain management segment dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 46.9%. This scenario exists in most of the regions worldwide, except in the U.S., wherein the manufacturing segment is also expected to witness a lucrative CAGR of 6.1% over the forecast period.

Globalization of clinical trials and an increase in the number of clinical sites are expected to drive the demand for supply chain management systems by life science companies and CROs. Adoption of mobile and supply chain management technology is expected to be the driving factor for segment growth. According to a survey conducted by Sonoco Thermo safe, interactive response systems and Microsoft Office tools are major technologies that are employed by respondents, contributing 25.0% and 24.0%, respectively.

End-use Insights

The pharmaceuticals segment dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 42.4% in 2020. The segment is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 6.1% during the forecast period. There has been a steady decrease in pharmaceutical drugs in the R&D pipeline as they have been substituted by biological drugs, which is expected to have a slightly negative impact on segment growth during the forecast period.

The number of pharmaceutical drugs in the top 10 innovative drugs has decreased drastically and is expected to be replaced by biologics. Although pharmaceutical drugs account for the highest number of drugs in the clinical trial segment, the growing number of biological drugs is likely to have an impact on this number. However, the demand for safe, efficacious, and cost-effective medicines is expected to fuel the development of enhanced pharmaceutical drugs, thereby propelling segment growth.

Therapeutic Use Insights

The oncology segment dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 38.15 in 2020. The segment is expected to witness the highest CAGR over the forecast period owing to the presence of a huge R&D pipeline of oncology drugs. The majority of oncology drugs require temperature-sensitive distribution, which is expected to fuel the demand for cold chain distribution.

Cardiovascular diseases are known to be the leading cause of death globally. According to the report published by the American Heart Association, in 2018, around 92.1 million people in the U.S. were living with some form of cardiovascular disease and this disease is the most common cause of mortality in the country compared to cancer and other chronic diseases. It also reported that around 2,300 people in the U.S. die due to cardiovascular disease per day, which is around 1 death every 38 seconds. Thus, such factors are anticipated to propel segment growth during the forecast period. However, introducing a new cardiovascular drug in the market presents many challenges such as stringent regulatory policies for clinical trials and late-stage failures. Supplies are prepared according to changes in the dosage, the number of sites, and packaging design.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 50.9% in 2020 owing to the highest number of clinical trials being conducted in the region. Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the fastest CAGR of 6.4% over the forecast period. Various factors responsible for this growth include the increasing number of healthcare companies conducting clinical trials in the region, supportive government legislations, and availability of cost-effective products.

Asia Pacific is expected to be one of the fastest-growing regions in the market. The tremendous growth in clinical research is expected to drive the market in the region. The primary factors driving the growth of clinical research in the region include low treatment and the presence of a diverse group of patients that are easy to recruit.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Expansion of geographic presence and development of niche business units catering to the industry are being currently performed by various players. For instance, in April 2021, Catalent expanded capabilities at its clinical supply services facility in Philadelphia to support sponsors developing cell and gene therapies. Some of the prominent players in the clinical trial supplies market include:

• Almac Group

• Biocair

• Catalent, Inc.

• KLIFO

• Movianto (Walden Group)

• PCI Pharma Services

• Sharp

• Thermo Fischer Scientific, Inc.

• Marken

• Parexel International Corporation

 Clinical Trial Supplies Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2016 to 2028. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global clinical trial supplies market report on the basis of clinical phase, product and services, therapeutic use, end-use, and region:

• Clinical Phase Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

  • Phase I

  • Phase II

  • Phase III

  • Other

• Product & Services Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

  • Manufacturing

  • Storage & Distribution

    • Cold Chain Distribution

    • Non-cold Chain Distribution

  • Supply Chain Management

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

  • Pharmaceutical

  • Biologics

  • Medical device

  • Others

• Therapeutic Use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

  • Oncology

  • CNS Disorders

  • Cardiovascular

  • Infectious Disease

  • Metabolic Disorders

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2016 - 2028)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • Japan

  • Latin America

    • Mexico

    • Brazil

  • MEA

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia