The global pharmaceutical market reached a total value of 1.57 Euros trillion in 2025 and is expected to grow by 6.2% over the medium term through 2030. This is one of the key findings of the new special edition of the Pharmintech Monitor, dedicated to the pharmaceutical sector and produced in collaboration with MECS – Manufacturing Economic Studies.
Within this scenario, Europe continues to play a leading role, generating 505 billion Euros in pharmaceutical production.
In a highly dynamic market driven by investment in R&D, Italy stands out both in pharmaceutical manufacturing and in the development and production of packaging and processing machinery. The country also ranks among the leaders in pharmaceutical exports, a market worth 490.8 billion Euros, dominated by Germany, Italy and Switzerland and recording growth of 7.8% over the 2021-2025 period.
Biologics: a revolution for patients reshaping packaging and processing
Among the fastest-growing segments are biologics, which reached a global value of 659 billion Euros in 2025. Forecasts point to 1.016 trillion Euros by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9%.
Growth is particularly strong in several therapeutic areas, with implications for drug administration methods and, consequently, for packaging and processing technologies. Among these, endocrinology and metabolism could reach a value of 177 billion Euros, followed by oncology at 129 billion Euros and dermatology at 81 billion Euros.
Biologics are introducing new therapies that require machinery manufacturers to adopt a new approach to pharmaceutical packaging, providing solutions suited to administration methods that increasingly rely on injectable and parenteral drugs rather than the more traditional oral route.
One of the areas most affected is Fill & Finish, which must meet the sterile filling requirements of primary packaging. Globally, this market is worth 17.1 billion Euros and, according to MECS estimates, is set to reach 24.2 billion Euros by 2030.
This performance is expected to be driven in particular by biologics-related applications, which accounted for 5 billion Euros of the total market in 2025 alone and are expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.7% through 2030.
Pharmaceutical packaging and processing: a snapshot of the market
Looking more broadly at the pharmaceutical packaging market over the 2025–2030 period, 1.7 billion Euros is concentrated in the Form-Fill-Seal (FFS) segment, which is expected to reach 2 billion Euros.
Filling machinery is forecast to grow by 3%, from 1.6 billion Euros to 1.9 billion Euros, while inspection machinery is also expected to grow by 3%, with the market reaching 1.4 billion Euros.
Two other key elements for the safety and handling of pharmaceutical packaging should not be overlooked: serialization, expected to grow by 3% to 280.5 million Euros by 2030, and aggregation, with a CAGR of 3.3% and an expected market value of €42.9 million over the same period.
Overall, the figures depict broad-based market growth, with filling, inspection and traceability playing an increasingly important role in meeting drug safety and control requirements.
Pharmintech: the natural home for innovation at every level
This journey will accompany the community towards Pharmintech 2028, scheduled to take place at Fiera Milano from 29 May to 1 June 2028.
The evolution of biologics confirms the growing interdependence between pharmaceutical research, manufacturing requirements and technological innovation. It is precisely this relationship that lies at the heart of Pharmintech, taking place at Fiera Milano from 29 May to 1 June 2028.
Its exhibition offering dedicated to Life Science industry professionals, dialogue with end users, institutions and stakeholder groups, and partnership with AFI – Associazione Farmaceutici Industria and the sector’s leading international associations make Pharmintech a privileged vantage point for understanding the production and technological needs of the chemical-pharmaceutical supply chain.
