Downstream Processing Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Chromatography Systems, Filters), By Technique (Purification, Formulation), By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2021 - 2028

Report Overview

The global downstream processing market size was estimated at USD 21.4 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.9% from 2021 to 2028. A rise in the utilization of downstream processing techniques for the development of COVID-19 vaccines is a significant factor driving the market. In February 2021, Rentschler Biopharma; a Germany-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) announced to start commercial manufacture, formulation, and downstream processing of CVnCoV COVID-19 candidate vaccine by CureVac. Similarly, Bayer also announced to manufacture 160 million doses of CVnCoV in 2022. 

In January 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced that it supported 250 projects for COVID-19 therapy as well as vaccine production in 2020. The company leverages its CDMO capabilities as well as its bioprocess consumables and equipment offerings for these projects. It has also partnered with Singapore and the U.S. government to expand its vaccine and therapy development capacities. Similar efforts have been made by EMD Millipore, Cytiva, Pall Biotech, and other companies to use their bioprocess offerings for COVID-19 therapeutics development.

A rise in R&D activities pertaining to advanced bioprocess technologies has resulted in the adoption of continuous downstream processing systems for multicomponent separations, perfusion chromatography systems, high-throughput process development, and high-resolution membrane systems. This has led to an increase in the need for improving bioprocessing technologies for addressing the purification bottleneck.

The number of CMOs in the market for downstream processing has increased as outsourcing helps pharmaceutical manufacturers reduce the high initial capital investment and procedure costs. CMOs help drug manufacturers in optimizing downstream purification, in addition to other processes such as cell culture preparation, chromatography, mixing, concentration, process monitoring, and disposable technologies.

Products Insights

The chromatography systems segment dominated the market for downstream processing and accounted for the largest revenue share of 40.6% in 2020. Continuous R&D to improve the efficiency and speed of chromatography systems is anticipated to propel the segment growth. In December 2020, Bolt Biotherapeutics conducted chromatography modeling using GoSilico ChromX simulation software to accelerate bioprocessing.

A rise in the deals and developments pertaining to chromatography systems also facilitates segment growth. For instance, in January 2021, Sartorius Stedim Biotech announced to acquire the chromatography equipment business from Novasep. This will assist Sartorius to develop novel chromatography systems which in turn will overcome efficiency issues and bottlenecks in downstream processing.

The filters segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR from 2021 to 2028. The rise in the utility of filters for viral inactivation is the key factor driving this market for downstream processing. In September 2020, a team of researchers from Pennsylvania State University analyzed the efficiency of BioEX hollow fiber and Planova 20N virus filters for the removal of viral-size particles. Such studies are anticipated to increase the adoption rate of filters for downstream processing of biologics.

Application Insights

The antibiotic production segment dominated the market for downstream processing and generated the largest revenue share of 32.9% in 2020 owing to the wide applications of antibiotics for the treatment of several disorders. More than 700,000 people die of antibiotic-resistant bacteria annually. This leads to high demand for the development of antibiotics which, in turn, propels the market growth.

Antibodies production grew at the fastest rate owing to the rise in demand for monoclonal antibodies. The launch of novel products for efficient purification of antibodies also propels segment growth. For instance, in January 2021, Cytiva launched HiScreen Fibro PrismA for process development and purification of monoclonal antibody (mAb). The product features a fiber-based Protein A platform which enables a 20-fold increase in productivity.

Technique Insights

The purification by chromatography segment dominated the downstream processing market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 40.9% in 2020. Single-use chromatography and filtration systems are considered the gold standards in downstream bioprocessing, hence companies are engaging in business development strategies such as acquisition, merger, and agreement for expanding their chromatography portfolio.

For instance, in October 2020, Repligen Corporation entered into a definitive agreement for the acquisition of ARTeSYN Biosolutions. ARTeSYN Biosolutions is an established provider of single-use filtration and chromatography systems. The company also offers a wide product range of single-use systems for continuous manufacturing, and media/buffer preparation workflows.

Similarly, in April 2020, Sartorius AG acquired Danaher Corporation’s chromatography hardware and resins, particle validation standards and microcarriers, and single-use tangential flow filtration business. This acquisition will help the company to expand its downstream processing offerings for chromatography systems.

Solid-liquid separation is expected to witness the highest CAGR of 16.9% during the forecast period. There are several advantages of solid-liquid separation such as it is simple, cost-effective, and well suited for continuous mode manufacturing. However, high shear forces generated is a common hurdle with this technique. Therefore, to cope up with such problems, recent developments such as depth filters include multistage depth filtration, alternating tangential flow microfiltration, and tangential flow filtration methods are increasingly adopted for high cell density processes.

Regional Insights

North America dominated the market for downstream processing with the largest revenue share of 34.6% in 2020 owing to government support for promoting bioprocess technologies, rising medical expenditure, and developed healthcare infrastructure. In addition, the region has witnessed major collaborative activities with healthcare giants that are extensively investing in the R&D of biopharmaceuticals and vaccines.

In addition, key players operating in the market for downstream processing are expanding their foothold in this region. For instance, in December 2020, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced further expansion in Europe and North America for the commercial manufacturing of medicines, vaccines, and therapies. The expansion added 15 development and cGMP commercial production lines, leveraging the company’s robust quality standards for supporting a range of manufacturing capabilities.

In Asia Pacific, the market for downstream processing is expected to register the highest growth rate of 17.3% due to the rising investments by developers and consumers in the field of biotechnology. The presence of a large population base is driving the need for advanced medical facilities for which players are keen on implementing rapid analytical methods to support in-process designing and bioprocessing.

China dominated the market share in the Asia Pacific owing to the growing biopharmaceutical industry and increasing demand for medicines and vaccines. The biopharmaceutical industry is amongst the most active economic sectors in China and is marked with continuous revolution with modern biopharmaceutical equipment and process.

In addition, companies are entering into strategic partnerships for promoting vaccine and drug development in the country. For instance, in November 2020, Cytiva entered into deals with Zhifei, Wego, Jinbofor, and Clover to invest in manufacturing, bioprocess development, and research to accelerate therapeutics development in China. The company has a wide range of product portfolios including bioprocess filtration, chromatography products, and cell culture and fermentation processes.  

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

Companies are increasingly focusing on the development of new products for downstream processing. For instance, in June 2020, Corning Incorporated launched the Corning X-SERIES cell processing platform. The X-SERIES products include X-LAB System, X-WASH System, and X-MINI Selection Kit for efficient cell separation and purification. The X-SERIES cell processing platform finds applications in immune cell therapy, bioprocess, personalized medicine, and gene cell therapy fields. This helped expand the company’s portfolio in the market. Some of the prominent players in the downstream processing market include:

• Merck KGaA

• Sartorius Stedim Biotech S.A

• GE Healthcare

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

• Danaher Corporation

• Repligen

• 3M Company

• Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH

• Corning Corporation

• Lonza Group Ltd

• Dover Corporation

• Ashai Kasei

• Ferner PLC

• Eppendorf AG

Downstream Processing 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 2017 to 2028. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global downstream processing market report on the basis of product, technique, application, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • Chromatography Systems

  • Filters

  • Evaporators

  • Centrifuges

  • Dryers

  • Others

• Technique Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • Cell Disruption

  • Solid-liquid separation

    • Filtration

    • Centrifugation

  • Concentration

    • Evaporation

    • Membrane filtration

  • Purification by Chromatography

  • Formulation 

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • Antibiotic Production

  • Hormone Production

  • Antibodies Production

  • Enzyme Production

  • Vaccine Production

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2017 - 2028)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • U.K.

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

    • South Korea

    • Australia

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

  • Middle East and Africa (MEA)

    • South Africa

    • UAE