Market Scenario
Drug delivery devices market size was valued at US$ 212.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to hit the market valuation of US$ 450.7 billion by 2035 at a CAGR of 7.8% during the forecast period 2026–2035.
Key Findings
Currently, drug delivery devices demand is being driven by a structural "super-cycle" that has fundamentally changed the pharmaceutical landscape. This is no longer about administering medication, but is about a giant industrial shift from hospital-based intravenous administration to patient-centric subcutaneous self-administration. The major catalyst for this explosion is the commercial explosion of GLP-1 receptor agonists for diabetes and obesity. As of 2025, pharmaceutical giants are realizing that their revenue potential is not limited by the chemistry of the drug, but by the availability of the device hardware (i.e. autoinjectors, pen systems) required to deliver it.
Consequently, the drug delivery devices market has transitioned from the phase of steady growth to an aggressive capital deployment phase. For instance, in 2024 alone, Eli Lilly made US$ 11.5 billion in revenue for Mounjaro, a number of injectable pens that are disposable and thus requires a staggering number of pens. When combined with Zepbound's US$ 4.9 billion revenue, it is clear that the hardware supply chain is under massive pressure to scale. This level of urgency is reflected in Novo Nordisk's 26% increase in operating profit which is being immediately reinvested into physical infrastructure to combat this supply demand gap.
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Chronic Disease Prevalence: The Driver of Consumption
The trajectory of the drug delivery devices market is indistinguishably associated with the prevalence of chronic diseases that are subject to frequent life-long dosing requirements. Diabetes and obesity are the common top consumers other than cancer of delivery devices as the therapeutic regimen has now changed to weekly self-injections. The American Diabetes Association notes that 38.4 million Americans are requiring the management tools, creating an enormous base for recurrent consumption of devices. Globally, with more than 500 million people living with diabetes, the addressable market for the pen injectors is almost unlimited.
Beyond metabolic diseases, oncology and autoimmune disorders are also taking a big step towards device-based interventions for enhancing the quality of life for patients. In 2024, an estimated 2.9 million patients were treated for oncology using devices, which moved from infusion centers to home-based wearable injectors. Likewise, 1.7 million patients used devices for autoimmune management. These therapies are top consumers because they often involve "high-viscosity" biologics - thick formulations that can't be easily injected with a standard syringe, which means that sophisticated, spring-loaded autoinjectors are being used to ensure that the doses are given correctly.
High-Velocity Innovation: FDA Approval and Hot Commodities
The regulatory environment in the drug delivery devices market has been very active in favouring the development of complex, combination products. The FDA approved 61 novel drugs in 2024, which is a good indicator of the velocity of innovation. Crucially 24 of these were deemed "First-in-Class" making up 48% of the total. These novel therapies often don't have a precedent for how they will be delivered, so manufacturers are forced to engineer bespoke platforms of devices instead of using legacy hardware.
Currently, the most popular devices sought in the drug delivery devices market are large-volume autoinjectors (2.25mL to 5.5mL capacity) and wearable injectors (on-body). The market witnessed 7.8 million high-volume subcutaneous devices being deployed in the year 2024 wherein 4.3 million are the wearable injectors. This is driven by a need to get larger doses of biologics less often. Furthermore, 18 biosimilars were approved in 2024 creating a very fierce battleground where the ease of use for the device becomes the main differentiator between the originator drug and the generic competitor.
Titans of Industry: Players & Market Dynamics
The competitive environment of the drug delivery devices market is characterized by a dichotomy in between the "Drug Owners" that is funding the capacity and the "Device Makers" that is completing the engineering. Eli Lilly has proven to be the most aggressive capital deployer, announcing a US$ 27 billion investment across 4 new locations in February 2025. Their total manufacturing commitment is now more than US$ 50 billion since 2020. Similarly, Novo Nordisk invested US$ 4.1 billion into one fill-finish location in North Carolina, in an attempt to have the supply chain in place for the company's obesity portfolio.
On the manufacturing side, pure play device companies are booming in the drug delivery devices market. Ypsomed's Delivery Systems division experienced a sales revenue of CHF 220.3 million in the first half of the 2024/25 fiscal year by taking advantage of the trend of outsourcing. Containment and delivery leader Gerresheimer generated EUR 2.036 billion in full-year 2024 revenue and Stevanato Group posted EUR 1.104 billion. The popularity of products such as Ypsomed's "Ypsomedate" and SHL Medical's autoinjector platforms are both seeing an explosion in popularity with SHL setting a target to create 1.5 billion devices per year by 2025.
Global Powerhouses: The Leading 4 Drug delivery devices market
The production and consumption of drug delivery devices are concentrated in four distinct global hubs, and these have different specialized roles:
Future Horizons: Trends and Strategic Opportunities
Looking to the future, the drug delivery devices market is shifting toward "High-Value Solutions"-- that is, devices that have digital connectivity and the capability to manage complex formulations. Stevanato Group revealed today that the company's High-Value Solutions segment now represents 40% of its Q4 2024 revenue, recording a record EUR 131 million. This trend is further supported by Ypsomed's "mylife Loop" system, which has the following features: the platform gathered 60,000 active users by late 2024, which is clear proof that patients are ready for connected health.
Another great opportunity is in the expansion of the workforce. The industry is in a war for talent - Eli Lilly's new places will create 3,000 high-skilled jobs, while Novo Nordisk's expansion adds 1,000 jobs. Finally, sustainability is also becoming a non-negotiable metric. Novo Nordisk has set a base line to cut Scope 3 emissions by 33% by 2033 and this is forcing device partners to innovate in biodegradable materials and circular economy models. The future is for players that will be able to combine massive scale and sustainable and digital-ready precision.
Segmental Analysis
Advanced Formulations and Patient Preference Give Oral Route Global Dominance
Oral administration is the undisputed leader in the drug delivery devices market because of its unequaled convenience and the support of the massive volume of small molecule innovations. In 2024, the FDA approved 50 new drugs, of which 34 were small molecule drugs which are good candidates for oral administration, and further solidified the segment's stronghold. Major pharmaceutical entities are keenly pumping capital for increasing solid dosage capacities to cater to the global needs. For example, Novo Nordisk pledged to make a huge US$ 6.8 billion investment in manufacturing infrastructure in 2024, including making substantial upgrades to oral solid lines. Catalent also made a significant investment in the development of oral biologics, allocating US$ 100 million to specifically drive the development of this important industry shift from injections to ingestible formats. Such movements confirm the oral solutions being strongly anchored in the drug delivery devices market.
Investments are a preference for a trend in which ease of use can influence patterns of consumption. Innovations in bioavailability are opening up the option of complex therapies that were previously limited to needles, to migrate successfully to the oral sector. While smart bottles and ingestible sensors gain ground, the drug delivery devices market has its major volume in traditional solids. Recent data shows that the oral pipeline (candidates) dwarfs the injectable pipeline in the early stages. Furthermore, global spending on medicines (which are dominated by treatment for chronic diseases in oral form) surpassed US$ 1.6 trillion in most recent valuations. These numbers demonstrate that in spite of the emergence of biologics the oral pathway is the basic backbone of therapeutic delivery.
Oncology Treatments Drive Unparalleled Need For Specific Therapeutic Delivery Systems
Cancer has become the front runner application because treating malignancies requires the precise administration of increasingly potent and toxic biologics. In 2023, there were 25 new oncology active substances launched worldwide, in which case there was an immediate need for dosing mechanisms that can meet this need. Expenditure on cancer medicines skyrocketed to US$ 223 billion recently necessitating high-value tools such as on-body injectors to ensure safety. China recently overtook the United States by launching 83 novel oncology drugs in a five-year period, driving huge regional intake of delivery systems. The reason for the booming drug delivery devices market is that the new biologics tend to have high viscosity and therefore require a very strong engineering that is not feasible in a regular syringe.
Hospitals and home care are turning to these high-tech tools to deal with the expected growth in cancer rates, which are projected to soar to 12 million cases per year by 2050. Leading manufacturers such as BD and West Pharmaceutical Services describe their oncology focused wearable units as their fastest growing revenue generators. Additionally, the drug delivery devices market is also moving towards subcutaneous administration of monoclonal antibodies, which will give the patient the option of using rapid push devices rather than undergoing hours-long infusions through an IV. As a result the number of pre-filled syringes and auto-injectors for shipment for cancer care now exceeds the number for autoimmune disorders.
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Hospitals Are Still The Main Source Of Utilizing Critical Care Devices
Hospitals represent the major end-user segment of the drug delivery devices market due to the highest volume of acute care procedures which require complex infusion systems. In 2023, a total of US$ 146.9 billion was spent by US hospitals on medical and surgical supplies, a category dominated very much by delivery tools. Intensive Care Units are the prime drivers of such consumption, where US$ 25,860 is an average of the supply cost in US$ per bed per year. The remediation and return of BD Alaris pumps in 2024 became a wave of fleet upgrades across North American facilities, with capital expenditures in the hundreds of millions. These institutions need robust, interoperable systems to manage the medication safety of millions of admissions to keep the drug delivery devices market focused on inpatient care.
Safety regulations require complicated treatments to be given in controlled settings, which means that hospitals will continue to get the lion's share of procurement. Recent surveys show that 89.5% of US hospitals have completely implemented smart pump technology in preventing medication errors. The largest individual orders in the drug delivery devices market are received from consolidated hospital networks buying thousands of pumps and millions of disposable sets in single contracts. Furthermore, the drive for connected wards has seen facilities invest heavily in upgrades, which feel integrated with Electronic Health Records. With emergency room visits and volume of surgeries increasing to pre-pandemic levels in 2025, hospital continues to outstrip other settings.
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Regional Analysis
North America Dominates With 32.72% Share Driven By Biologic Commercialization
North America dominates the global drug delivery devices market scenario with a dominant 32.72% market share in 2025. This leadership is enforced by the commercial explosion of high-value biologics in a structural way. Wherein, the region's financial engine is fueled with record-breaking therapeutic adoption. For example, Eli Lilly's US$ 11.5 billion US$ 11.5 billion in revenue for Mounjaro in 2024 is evidence of how US reimbursement models support high price device combinations. Furthermore, the regulatory environment is very much pro-supportive of this value retention as evidenced by the fact that the FDA has approved 61 novel drugs in 2024, nearly half of which are first-in-class therapies that require novel delivery hardware.
Beyond consumption, the region is now in the midst of a manufacturing renaissance to bring manufacturing closer to home. Eli Lilly's staggering US$ 27 billion manufacturing investment across new locations in the US solidifies the US becoming a nation of net exporters, rather than an importer. With BD generating US$ 5.43 billion in Q4 2024 revenue, the US infrastructure essentially grabs the whole value chain, from engineering to patient administration.
Asia Pacific Rapidly Grows Owing to Massive Volume and Government Tenders
Asia Pacific drug delivery devices market is driven by demographic scale as well as state level procurement. China is the anchor with its domestic market valued at US$ 59.83 billion in 2024. The "Direct Tenders" channel of distribution alone brought in US$ 39.94 billion and this shows that government centralization is the main way to make devices accessible to millions of diabetic patients.
India complements this growth by positioning itself as the world factory for cheap solutions. The Indian market value is expected to reach US$ 9.36 billion in 2024, with the injectable segment accounting for a major share of 45% of the total revenue. This dominance is being fueled by a move towards biosimilars with Indian manufacturers fast scaling up production to meet the needs both domestically and in export for cheap autoinjectors.
Europe Maintains Influence Through High Precision Engineering and Pharma Giants
Europe still stands as the technological center of the drug delivery devices market, which stands out for precision engineering as opposed to volume. The strength of the region is rooted in the financial power of Novo Nordisk, which recorded a 26% growth in operating profit, enabling the continent-wide growth of fill-finish capabilities. This wealth trickles down to specialised device partners; Gerresheimer, a German manufacturing titan, saw EUR 2.036 billion in revenue in 2024, illustrating the region's contribution to the supply of the glass and polymer backbones of a global market.
Switzerland still has a leading position in device innovation: Ypsomed's Delivery Systems division generated CHF 220.3 million over six months of the 2024/25 financial year. Europe dominance is strategic; controlling the intellectual property and standards for high precision device manufacturing, it remains an indispensable partner to the world pharmaceutical industry.
Top 4 Recent Trends and Developments in Drug Delivery Devices Market
Top Companies in the Drug Delivery Devices Market
Market Segmentation Overview
By Route of Administration
By Application
By End User
By Region
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