Global Pharmaceutical Spray Drying Market Outlook, 2031

The pharmaceutical spray drying market has emerged as an essential segment within the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, providing advanced particle engineering solutions for drug formulation and development. Spray drying is a rapid, robust, reproducible, and scalable process that converts liquid drug formulations into dry, free-flowing powders with controlled particle size, shape, density, and moisture content . This technology is increasingly critical for enabling the development of poorly soluble drug compounds, which constitute approximately 40% of pipeline molecules, by transforming crystalline active ingredients into amorphous solid dispersions that significantly enhance dissolution rates and bioavailability .

According to the research report "Global Pharmaceutical Spray Drying Market Outlook, 2031," published by Bonafide Research, the global pharmaceutical spray drying market was valued at USD 2.2 Billion in 2025. The pharmaceutical industry's shift toward continuous manufacturing, the growing complexity of drug formulations, and the rising demand for biologics and inhalation therapies are driving the adoption of spray drying technologies . The market encompasses a wide range of applications including excipient production, encapsulation, solubility enhancement, and bioavailability improvement, making it a cornerstone of modern drug development strategies that prioritize enhanced solubility, rapid bioavailability, and scalable continuous-flow production .

Drivers Growing demand for enhanced drug solubility and bioavailability: Approximately 40% of drug pipeline molecules present low aqueous solubility, making spray-dried amorphous solid dispersions indispensable for unlocking therapeutic potential . Spray drying significantly reduces dissolution times and triples bioavailability improvement prospects .

Rising outsourcing to CDMOs and expansion of integrated services: The pharmaceutical industry's reliance on specialized contract development and manufacturing organizations is intensifying . CDMOs are expanding to provide integrated particle-engineering services, enabling rapid scale-up without significant capital outlay.

Challenges High initial capital investment and operating costs: Pharmaceutical-grade spray dryer installations range from USD 2-10 million inclusive of HEPA filtration, in-line analytics, and cleanroom requirements.



Stringent validation and compliance requirements: Spray drying equipment and processes must meet rigorous GMP standards and regulatory expectations, requiring extensive validation and documentation.

Trends Integration of continuous processing technologies: The industry is increasingly adopting continuous manufacturing platforms for spray drying, moving beyond traditional batch processing . Continuous processing offers advantages including improved efficiency, reduced waste, enhanced quality control, and faster scale-up capabilities.

Sustainability and energy efficiency imperatives: Sustainability goals, solvent-reduction mandates, and heightened energy-efficiency objectives are accelerating adoption of closed-loop and fusion-dispersion systems.

The market is segmented by application into encapsulation, excipient production, solubility and bioavailability enhancement, and others, with excipient production currently holding the largest revenue share. Excipient production held 42.85% of market revenue, highlighting spray drying's ability to engineer flowable, compressible, and directly compressible powders that streamline tablet manufacturing . Spray-dried multifunctional excipients with integrated disintegration and binding properties reduce formulation steps, enhancing manufacturing agility . Excipients can account for as much as 80-90% of drug product formulation, and for branded drugs, novel excipients could optimize drug product performance and presentation . The strategic importance of excipient innovation is underscored by Roquette's acquisition of IFF Pharma Solutions in 2024, combining polymer science with spray-drying know-how to address evolving delivery challenges . Government initiatives such as the USFDA's pilot program to review novel excipients for unmet needs in formulating new drug products are expected to further boost segment growth .

By application, the solubility and bioavailability enhancement segment is the fastest-growing, reflecting the industry's focus on unlocking therapeutically valuable but poorly soluble molecules. Bioavailability-enhancement applications are forecast to advance at a 9.05% CAGR through 2031, reflecting the industry's emphasis on addressing the challenge of poorly soluble drug compounds . Spray drying offers a versatile and efficient solution for converting drug compounds into amorphous or microcrystalline particles with increased surface area and improved solubility . This application is particularly valuable for drugs with low aqueous solubility, which often exhibit poor oral absorption and therapeutic efficacy . Small-molecule APIs provided 47.10% of 2025 revenue, with companies deploying spray drying to transform crystalline actives into amorphous forms, securing rapid dissolution and consistent in-vivo exposure . The encapsulation segment serves taste-masking, controlled-release, and other specialized formulation needs, remaining a vital niche within the market .

North America leads the global pharmaceutical spray drying market, driven by substantial CDMO capacity, a pro-innovation FDA stance, and large-scale internal builds from major pharmaceutical companies. North America maintained leadership with a 39.85% share in 2025, underpinned by advanced healthcare infrastructure, significant pharmaceutical R&D expenditure, and early adoption of innovative technologies. The United States represents the strongest single-country opportunity due to its combination of approvals, clinical activity, and large-scale manufacturing economics. Major capital deployments such as Catalent's USD 40 million Kentucky upgrade and Serán BioScience's USD 200 million Bend project demonstrate the region's commitment to expanding spray drying infrastructure. The increasing burden of chronic diseases and growing investment in pharmaceutical research and development activities are major driving factors for the region. Experic's addition of spray drying capabilities in May 2023 to support biopharmaceutical formulation and development further demonstrates the region's commitment to expanding spray drying infrastructure. The region's lower manufacturing costs and expanding CDMO networks are attracting significant investment.

In 2025 — Hovione completed an initial US$100 million investment round to expand its New Jersey site, more than doubling spray-drying capacity with two new size-3 spray dryers for amorphous solid dispersion production .

In 2025 — Codis launched as a CDMO formed from the combination of Particle Dynamics and a UK spray drying site, offering over 5,000 metric tons per year of spray-drying output capacity across three GMP facilities .

In 2024 — Serán BioScience announced a strategic growth transaction of over US$200 million led by Bain Capital Life Sciences to construct a new commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Bend, Oregon, expanding spray drying and particle-engineering capabilities .

In 2024 — Roquette acquired IFF Pharma Solutions, combining polymer science with spray-drying expertise to address evolving drug delivery challenges and strengthening excipient innovation capabilities .


Considered in this report
• Historic Year: 2020
• Base Year: 2025
• Estimated Year: 2026
• Forecast Year: 2031

Aspects covered in this report
• Global Pharmaceutical Spray Drying Market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Application
• Encapsulation
• Excipient Production
• Solubility and Bioavailability Enhancement
• Others