Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Report Scope & Overview:

The unit dose manufacturing market size was valued at USD 74.30 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 172.96 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 11.16% over the forecast period of 2025-2032. 

The global unit dose manufacturing market is growing rapidly, owing to the increase in demand for precise dosing and patient safety, as unit dose formats are known to reduce medication errors and improve adherence, making it highly suitable among elderly patients and pediatric patients. The expansion of companies outsourcing manufacturing via CDMOs is another major factor that enables pharma companies to decrease costs, shorten the time-to-market, and concentrate on R&D. These factors are significantly attractive in unit dose manufacturing market trends among hospitals, pharmacies, and the nutraceutical sector.

For instance, in June 2024, global contract manufacturing revenues for unit dose formats rose by 8%, reflecting increasing pharmaceutical outsourcing to CDMOs for cost-efficiency and faster market entry.

Key Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Trends

• Rising demand for unit dose packaging in pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and diagnostics to improve dosage accuracy, reduce medication errors, and enhance patient adherence.

• Increasing adoption of advanced packaging technologies, including pre-fillable syringes, blister packs, and stick packs with tamper-evident, child-resistant, and eco-friendly features.

• Use of lightweight, sustainable materials and smart labeling solutions (QR codes, RFID, barcodes) for improved supply chain tracking, patient safety, and regulatory compliance.

• Growing utilization in oral solid dosage forms, liquid formulations, injectables, and inhalables, expanding applications beyond traditional pills into biologics and personalized medicine.

• Expansion of procurement by contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs), pharma companies, and hospitals, particularly across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, due to outsourcing trends and regulatory pressure.

• Integration of digital serialization, IoT-enabled packaging lines, and AI-driven quality control for real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and enhanced production efficiency in unit dose manufacturing.

Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Report Highlights

The U.S. unit dose manufacturing market was valued at USD 24.23 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 55.59 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 10.96% over 2025-2032. The U.S. unit dose manufacturing market is major due to large Consumption of pharmaceuticals and high prescription per capita, especially for chronic diseases and biologics. This has driven demand for sealed, single-use packaging. Based on recent unit dose manufacturing market analysis, hospitals, pharmacies, and long-term care facilities prefer the unit dose applications to address patient safety, adherence, and reduce inventory waste.

Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Growth Drivers:

• Growth in Outsourced Manufacturing is Driving the Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Growth

Outsourced manufacturing (CDMOs/CMOs) penetration in the pharmaceutical industry will remain a high-impact rendering driver for the unit dose manufacturing market share. This trend enables CDMO-produced unit dose formats to enter the market more quickly, gain access to state-of-the-art technologies for unit doses, and scale to both clinical and commercial volumes with a higher overall percentage of the market.

For instance, in March 2025, CDMOs accounted for approximately 55% of global unit dose production volumes, highlighting the increasing reliance on outsourced manufacturing in the market.

Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Restraints:

• Limited Shelf Life for Certain Dosage Forms is Hampering the Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Growth

limited shelf life of liquid and biologic unit dose formats limits the growth of the market since such products need to be stored under well-defined conditions, including controlled storage, cold chain logistics, and quick distribution. It limits scaling; parenteral and high-value biologics require more effort, translating to cost, whose marginal utility inhibits the unit dose growth rate despite growing international need.

Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Opportunities:

• Integration Of Digital and Smart Packaging Drives Future Growth Opportunities for the Unit Dose Manufacturing Market

The growing demand for safer medical suctioning. Independent Pharmacies and healthcare facilities are focusing more and more on closed-system suctioning and disposable canisters to reduce the risk of contamination, help reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), and abide by stricter infection control guidelines. This paradigm shift offers significant growth possibilities to manufacturers of new-age, more hygienic, and affordable suction solutions globally.

For instance, in October 2024, a Pharma Intelligence survey reported that over 60% of pharmaceutical companies in North America and Europe planned or implemented IoT-enabled packaging to improve adherence.

Key Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Segment Analysis

• By product, solid unit dose held the largest share of around 52.87%in 2024, and the liquid unit dose segment is expected to register the highest growth with a CAGR of 11.68%.

• By sourcing, the outsourcing segment dominated the market with approximately 61.47% share in 2024, while in-house is expected to register the highest growth with a CAGR of 11.49%.

• By packaging format, blister & strip packs accounted for the leading share of nearly 48.98% in 2024, while sachets, pouches & bottles are expected to register the highest growth with a CAGR of 11.58%.

• By end user, the independent pharmacies segment led the market with about 40.80% share in 2024, while the hospitals segment is forecasted to grow the fastest at a CAGR of 12.07%.

By Product, Solid Unit Dose Leads the Market, While Liquid Unit Dose Registers Fastest Growth

The solid unit dose segment accounted for the highest revenue share of approximately 52.87% in 2024, owing to its cost-effectiveness, long shelf life, and easy handling. Pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, and OTC products mostly use tablets & capsules. In comparison, the liquid unit dose segment is anticipated to achieve the highest CAGR of nearly 11.68% during the 2025–2032 period, driven by increasing demand for prefilled syringes, BFS ampoules, and single-dose bottles in biologics, vaccines, and OTC products.

By Sourcing, the Outsourcing Segment dominates, while the In-house Segment Shows Rapid Growth

The Outsourcing segment held the largest revenue share of approximately 61.47% in 2024, as the growing dependence of pharmaceutical companies on CDMOs and contract manufacturers for low-cost, high-grade production. Outsourcing, therefore, is the preferred approach for global unit dose manufacturing due to key drivers, including shorter time-to-market. On the other hand, the In-house segment is predicted to grow at the strongest CAGR of approximately 11.49% during 2025–2032, driven by the pharmaceutical companies pouring money into developing in-house manufacturing for quality control, technology preservation, and quicker answers to shifts in demand.

By Packaging Format, Blister & Strip Packs Segment Lead, While Sachets, Pouches & Bottles Register Fastest Growth

The blister & strip packs segment accounted for the largest share of the unit dose manufacturing market with about 48.98%, owing to their low cost and high production rate, and storage life. Major driving factors are widespread adoption of oral solid drugs, nutraceuticals & OTC products, regulatory preference for unit dose safety, along with ease of distribution. In addition, the sachets, pouches & bottles segment is slated to grow at the fastest rate with a CAGR of around 11.58% throughout the forecast period of 2025–2032, driven by the increasing need for hygienic, disposable designs in nutraceuticals, OTC products, and rehydration solutions. This is mainly due to the growing demand among the rapidly growing on-the-go consumers and rapid penetration in emerging markets. 

By End User, Independent Pharmacies Segment Lead, While the Hospitals Segment Grows the Fastest

The independent pharmacies segment held the largest revenue share of around 40.80% in the unit dose manufacturing market in 2024, owing to their expansive landscape and lean on individual preparation and patient protection. The independent pharmacy segment is a considerable factor in the demand for precision unit doses, due to their convenience and ability to ease inventory management. On the flip side, the hospitals segment, however, is projected to register the highest CAGR of around 12.07% during the forecast period of 2025 - 2032, as a result of the continued shift to unit dose formats for inpatient care, infection control, and medication safety. Regulatory diktats, imperative for accurate dosing, improved inventory management.

Asia Pacific Urine Testing Cups Market Insights

The Asia Pacific segment is projected to witness the fastest CAGR of 11.99% during the forecast period of 2025–2032, as a result of an increase in the demand for health care, the growth in pharmaceutical manufacturing and increasing awareness of medication safety. Importantly, burgeoning urbanization and rising populations in regions including China, India, and Southeast Asia continue to fuelled consumption of pharmaceuticals, OTC products, and nutraceuticals which will in turn create prolonged need for unit dose packaging formats like blisters, sachets and prefilled syringes. Moreover, the ascendance of CDMOs, cost-effective manufacturing, and substantial support from the government in the form of supportive regulations are fostering local production and adoption.

North America Urine Testing Cups Market Insights

North America accounted for the highest revenue share of approximately 38.72% in 2024 of the unit dose manufacturing market, owing to its pharma-friendly infrastructure, high-cost healthcare, and stringent regulations. The drivers include blister packaging, prefilled syringes, and parenteral unit dosing in hospitals, pharmacies, causing more use of CDMOs for manufacturing outsourcing, as patient safety, accurate dosing, and inventory become paramount. In addition, the use of advanced dispensing technology and an increased number of prescriptions, and an increase in biologics will continue to ensure North America remains a leading market for unit doses over a global perspective.

Europe Urine Testing Cups Market Insights

The Europe Unit Dose Manufacturing Market is growing steadily owing to its strong pharmaceutical industry, advanced manufacturing infrastructure, and high regulatory standards. The key drivers supporting the market expansion in the region include extensive usage of blister packs and parenteral unit doses, the adoption rate of CDMO services, rising demand for biologics & OTC products, and growing mandates by regional governments to ensure patient safety, coupled with precise dosing practices among others.

Latin America (LATAM) and Middle East & Africa (MEA) Urine Testing Cups Market Insights

The Latin American and MEA unit dose packaging market is growing owing to increasing consumption of pharmaceutical products, developing healthcare infrastructure, and surging incidence of chronic diseases. Modern healthcare facilities are being established by governments, and rising outsourcing to contract manufacturers is enhancing the uptake of cutting-edge unit dose options. These are some areas that offer a huge appetite for growth.

Competitive Landscape for the Unit Dose Manufacturing Market:

Catalent is a global leader in advanced drug development, delivery technologies, and contract manufacturing services. The company specializes in oral, injectable, and biologic formulations, supporting pharma and biotech clients with scalable, innovative solutions globally.

• In February 2025, Catalent expanded its U.S. facility in Bloomington, Indiana, adding unit dose oral solid manufacturing lines to support increased demand for personalized medicine and biologics, enhancing production capacity and supply chain efficiency.

Recipharm is a leading pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) based in Sweden. It provides comprehensive services from drug development to commercial manufacturing, including oral solids, sterile liquids, and inhalation products for global pharma companies.

• In August 2024, Recipharm announced a strategic investment in a new sterile injectable unit dose facility in Sweden, aiming to increase commercial-scale production and strengthen its biologics and specialty drug portfolio for European markets.

PCI Pharma Services offers end-to-end pharmaceutical outsourcing solutions, including drug development, clinical and commercial manufacturing, packaging, and logistics. The company emphasizes quality, regulatory compliance, and personalized solutions for pharmaceutical and biotech clients globally.

• In November 2024, PCI Pharma Services launched AI-driven smart packaging solutions for unit dose medications, integrating serialization, IoT tracking, and predictive quality monitoring to improve patient adherence and regulatory compliance globally.

Unit Dose Manufacturing Market Key Players:

Some of the medical suction device market companies are:

• Catalent, Inc.

• Recipharm AB

• PCI Pharma Services

• Aenova Group

• Sharp Services, LLC

• Unither Pharmaceuticals

• Vetter Pharma International GmbH

• Baxter BioPharma Solutions

• Lonza Group Ltd.

• Siegfried Holding AG

• Alcami Corporation

• DPT Laboratories

• Klocke Group

• Tapemark

• PillPack 

• AptarGroup, Inc.

• Stevanato Group

• Glenmark Life Sciences

• Sanofi Contract Manufacturing

• CordenPharma