U.S. Pharmaceutical - Industry Report

The U.S. pharmaceutical market size is calculated at USD 634.34 billion in 2024 and is predicted to attain around USD 1,107.4 billion by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 5.73% from 2025 to 2034.

U.S. Pharmaceutical Market Report Highlights

• By molecule type, the conventional drugs (small molecules) segment dominated the U.S. pharmaceutical market in 2024 with the highest revenue share.
• By molecule type, the biologics & biosimilar molecule segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.
• By product, the branded product segment dominated the U.S. pharmaceutical market with the highest revenue share in 2024.
• By product, the generic product segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.
• By type, the prescription type segment dominated the market in 2024 with the largest revenue share.
• By type, the OTC type segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.
• By disease, the cancer disease segment dominated the U.S. pharmaceutical market with the largest revenue share.
• By disease, the cardiovascular disease segment is anticipated to grow with the highest CAGR in the market during the studied years.
• By route of administration, the oral route of administration segment dominated the growth of the market in 2024.
• By route of administration, the parenteral route of drug administration is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.
• By formulation, the tablets segment registered its dominance over the market in 2024.
• By formulation, the sprays segment is projected to expand rapidly in the market in the coming years.
• By age group, the adult age group segment held the largest market share in 2024 and is expected to grow the fastest CAGR during the forecast period.
• By age group, the children & adolescent age group segment is expected to show a significant growth rate during the forecast period.
• By end market, the hospital pharmacy distribution channel segment dominated the U.S. pharmaceutical market with the highest revenue share in 2024.
• By end market, the other distribution channel segment is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period.

The U.S. pharmaceutical market refers to the production, distribution, and application of pharmaceuticals, which include remedies used to cure, treat, prevent, and diagnose diseases. These small-molecule drugs or biologics medical products may be called medications, drugs, or medicines. Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs are both included. A pharmaceutical is any type of drug used for medical purposes, like sleeping pills or cough syrup. A pharmacy is a place where you can buy medicinal drugs, and a pharmacist is a person who prepares those drugs.

Pharmaceutical substances are used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease and for restoring, correcting, or modifying organic functions. Pharmaceuticals and medical technologies can greatly enhance both quality of life and life expectancy. They can cure diseases, relieve symptoms, and prevent complications. Pharmaceuticals are essential for the prevention and treatment of diseases and the protection of public health. The use of poor-quality, ineffective, and harmful medicines can lead to therapeutic failure, exacerbation of disease, resistance to medicines, and sometimes death.

Advancement in drug discovery and development driving the growth of the U.S. pharmaceutical market. The discovery of a new drug molecule is required for treating an illness or disease for which no other treatment exists, or it provides additional benefits over the prevailing treatments, such as lesser adverse effects, higher therapeutic efficiency, enhanced amenability, and fewer drug-drug interactions. A key goal of drug discovery campaigns is the recognition of new molecular entities that may be of value in the treatment of diseases that qualify as presenting unmet medical needs. These diseases do not have definitively useful therapies and are actually or potentially life-threatening. The discovery process is a critical phase in legal proceedings where parties involved in litigation exchange information, documents, and evidence pertinent to the case. It ensures transparency, allows for the thorough preparation of cases, and helps to avoid surprises during trials. Recent drug delivery systems (DDS) are formulated with enhanced properties like increased permeability, smaller particle size, increased efficacy, solubility, specific site targeting, toxicity, stability, and sustained delivery.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) integration in pharmaceuticals are driving the growth of the U.S. pharmaceutical market. By examining high volumes of biomedical data, finding possible therapeutic targets, and forecasting the efficiency of drug candidates, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms can speed up the drug discovery process. This makes it possible for researchers to create personalized treatments for particular patient populations. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology have significantly accelerated the process of drug discovery and development, making the process more time and cost-effective. The machine-learning process involves creating a model based on past data to make predictions on future data. AI can aid many stages of drug discovery in many ways, including disease identification, target acquisition, computational screening, predicting drug toxicity, gene editing for developing gene therapies, and AI modeling for personalized drug dosing.

According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, in October 2024, United States Pharmaceutical Products exports accounted for up to $7.69B, and imports accounted for up to $19.2B, resulting in a negative trade balance of $11.5B. Between October 2023 and October 2024, the exports of United States Pharmaceutical Products decreased by $-266M from $7.96B to $7.69B, while imports increased by $2.92B from $16.3B to $ 19.2 B.