Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Market To Reach $69.38 Billion By 2033

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Market Growth & Trends

The global small molecule innovator CDMO market size is expected to reach USD 69.38 billion by 2033, expanding at a CAGR of 6.07% from 2025 to 2033, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. There is a growing interest among pharmaceutical companies in outsourcing to support core competencies such as sales, marketing, and others, due to associated cost savings. Furthermore, outsourcing enables companies to further progress core competencies such as drug development and manufacturing activities. Hence, expansions by small molecule CDMOs in recent years promise major support for the market growth in the upcoming years.

Small molecules continue to play an important role in the development of new treatments globally. Specialty medicines are increasingly driving global pharmaceutical manufacturing growth, particularly in developed markets with small molecule application accounting for over half of specialty sales. The application of small molecules are becoming increasingly complex.

The majority of solutions in the regulatory approval pipeline are made up of poorly soluble compounds that would require enabling technology to progress to clinical trials and beyond. As therapy targets and focus areas become more specific, creating target product profiles has become increasingly difficult. Failure to achieve appropriate bioavailability is an additional stumbling block in the development of many new chemical entities. These factors are expected to support the overall market growth.

The geriatric population is expected to witness a surge in the coming years. For instance, the WHO estimates that there will be more than 2 billion people aged 60 and over by 2050. This would create a lot of opportunities for the development of new small-molecule drugs, which is expected to support the market growth in the post-pandemic period.

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Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Market Report Highlights

• The small molecule API segment is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. This growth can primarily be attributed to the high approval rate of NME small molecules by regulatory agencies

• The clinical stage segment held the largest revenue share in 2024. CDMOs offer specialized expertise, time-saving, and cost-efficiency during clinical procedures. This is expected to augment the segmental growth over the forecast period

• Based on customer type, the market is segregated into pharmaceutical and biotechnology. The pharmaceutical segment held the largest revenue share in 2024. The growing focus on pharmaceutical companies to focus on core competencies, such as sales and adoption of expansion strategies by CDMOs for manufacturing small molecule drugs, are promoting the segment’s market growth

• The oncology segment dominated the market with 41.60% of the revenue share in 2024, and it is anticipated to register the fastest CAGR over the forecast period. A significant number of oncology drugs in the regulatory approval pipeline is one of the major factors supporting the segment’s growth

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global small molecule innovator CDMO market report based on product, stage type, customer type, therapeutic area, and region. 

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2021 - 2033)

• Small Molecule API

• Small Molecule Drug Product

  • Oral Solid Dose

  • Semi-Solid Dose

  • Liquid Dose

  • Others

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Stage Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2021 - 2033)

• Preclinical

• Clinical

  • Phase I

    • Small

    • Medium

    • Large

  • Phase II

    • Small

    • Medium

    • Large

  • Phase III

    • Small

    • Medium

    • Large

• Commercial

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Customer Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2021 - 2033)

• Pharmaceutical

• Small

• Medium

• Large

• Biotechnology

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Therapeutic Area Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2021 - 2033)

• Cardiovascular Diseases

• Oncology

• Respiratory Disorders

• Neurology

• Metabolic Disorders

• Infectious Diseases

• Others

Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2021 - 2033)

• North America

  • U.S.

  • Canada

  • Mexico

• Europe

  • UK

  • Germany

  • France

  • Italy

  • Spain

  • Denmark

  • Norway

  • Sweden

• Asia Pacific

  • Japan

  • China

  • India

  • Australia

  • South Korea

  • Thailand

• Latin America

  • Brazil

  • Argentina

• Middle East and Africa (MEA)

  • South Africa

  • Saudi Arabia

  • UAE

  • Kuwait

List of Key Players of Small Molecule Innovator CDMO Market

• Piramal Pharma Solutions

• CordenPharma International

• Wuxi AppTec

• Cambrex Corporation

• Recipharm AB

• Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

• Lonza

• Catalent Inc.

• Siegfried Holding AG

• Boehringer Ingelheim

• Labcorp