Pharmaceutical robots market to be ‘worth $430m by 2025’

As pharmaceutical industry flourishes on the back of significant R&D investment, there is growing global demand for robotics to use in drug discovery and clinical trials

The global pharmaceutical robots market is anticipated to reach US$ 430 million by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research.

The pharmaceutical industry is flourishing due to huge R&D investments by global players and on the back of increasing drug discovery and clinical trials, there is growing demand for robotics.

To minimize workload and maintain higher levels of accuracy, automation has become a significant part of pharmaceutical manufacturing. It increases efficiency, prevents performance of repetitive activities, and avoids human error and contamination.

AI is poised to become “the primary drug discovery tool by 2027”, according to AstraZeneca’s Global Head of Enterprise Architecture Leo Barella.

GlaxoSmithKline’s $43m deal in July with British AI firm Exscientia could signal a revolution for drug development that could radically speed up the drug discovery process, helping patients in urgent need of specialist treatments. Other leading pharma giants – including Johnson & Johnson and Merck – are also looking at investments in the AI sphere on the expectation that AI platforms are poised to reshape the pharma industry.

Global demand for robotics to use in drug discovery and clinical trials is soaring. Image: Shutterstock

Technological advancement is an important factor driving growth. The use of robots and automated machines in the field of pharmaceuticals is still in its nascent stage and expected to grow in the near future. The automation industry has incorporated a few new techniques such as collaborative robots and laboratory automation.

Pharmaceutical robotic machines also minimize manufacturing costs by reducing labor. Such machines are three to four machines are 3 to 4 times faster than humans and have the capacity to work for 24 hours. Reduction in production cost is expected to raise return on investment in the long run, thus driving demand for these products in the future.

Japan pharmaceutical robots market, by product, 2014 - 2025 (USD million)

Japan has seen exponential growth pharmaceutical robotics. Image: Grand View Research

Further key findings from the Grand View Research report show that Asia Pacific dominated the market in last year and is also anticipated to be the biggest driver of growth due to high penetration of robotic machines in pharma companies in countries such as China and Japan.

The key companies driving innovation in pharmaceutical robots include FANUC America; Kawasaki Heavy Industries; ABB; Seiko Epson Corporation; Denso Wave; Yaskawa Electric Corporation; Universal Robots; and Marchesini, according to the report.