Market Scenario 

Sterility testing market was valued at US$ 1,118.59 million in 2023 and is projected to hit the market valuation of US$ 2,945.74 million by 2032 at a CAGR of 11.36% during the forecast period 2024–2032.

Sterility testing is an important quality control step for ensuring the absence of microorganisms in sterile pharmaceutical items and medicines, medical devices, and biological preparations. This form of the testing is paramount to the safety of patients since infection as a result of contamination could be devastating, including leading to death. The past 20 years have seen over 50 reported cases of compounding errors of central nervous system-avitaminotic renal osteodystrophy contouring sterilization and some over 1,200 adverse events with reads, a clear depiction of the lack of sufficient sterilization. As of 2023, over 10,000 pharma companies in the sterility testing market were active around the globe as well as the introduction of around 5,000 new medical devices, many of which need to be sterilized, has created an increasing need for sterility testing. To add to this increase, the expanding biologics and vaccines demand in 2023 alone saw the approval of greater than 150 biologics drugs has increased the need for more strict sterility test procedures.

Sterility testing involves important procedures such as membrane filtration, direct inoculation, and immersion methods. Sterility testing of membrane filterable pharmaceuticals products has membrane filtration as the dominant method in the sterility testing market whereas direct inoculation is applied when the products are not filterable. The immersion method is usually performed in case of medical devices. According to the estimates, laboratories around the world carried out about 100,000 sterility testing in 2023 using different complex devices and equipment. Important pieces of equipment include isolators for sterilizing test, which ensures a contamination free zone; laminar flow cabinets for provision of sterile conditions during various operations; while incubation chambers are used for any microorganisms, which are present to grow in the years to come. In addition to this, more than 1,500 laboratories provide sophisticated sterility testing centers across the globe and over 100 different sterility testing procedures are accepted by the regulatory authorities validating wide applications and appropriate standards.

There are a number of reasons that explain the growing demand for sterility testing. First, the growth of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries stems from the increase in R&D investments which surpassed $200 billion in 2023. In order to introduce any new or enhanced products into the market, sterility assurance is required. Since the incidence of chronic diseases has grown significantly in past few years, more than 2,500 new drug compounds have been synthesized and all of them need to be subjected to sterility testing. The sterility testing market is catered by the pharmaceutical firms, biopharma firms, medical device companies, contract manufacturers, and compounding pharmacies. It has been estimated that around 1 000 CMOs provide sterilization testing across the globe. The main areas of application for sterility testing are drugs, biologics, vaccines, cell and gene therapy, and all kinds of medical devices. The global medical device market was worth more than $450 billion in 2023 and many manufacturers of medical devices rely on sterility testing to comply with legal and safety requirements of their products.

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Market Dynamics 

Driver: Increasing Demand for Pharmaceutical Sterility Testing Due to Stringent Regulatory Requirements Worldwide

With constant compounding international regulations aiming at pharmaceutical sterility testing, the forecast for the market doesn’t seem dull. The global sterility testing market was estimated to be around US$ 1,118.59 million in 2023, and it is probable to grow at a CAGR of 11.36% till the year 2032. As for the EU Medical Device Directive 93/42/EEC article 3, sterility testing has become one of the direly necessary tests for medical equipment manufacturers. Some huge topics in regards to the market which have been approved, include following those rigorous sterility testing protocols as required by FDA.

Furthermore, the WHO emphasizes the need for sterility testing as about 10 out of 100 medical products found in developing regions are of substandard quality. As for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2022, it performed more than 500 sterility related inspections that show the importance of these regulations among the agencies concerned. The number of drug approvals on the rise and the increased scrutiny from the regulatory authorities call for stricter sterility testing measures. In the sterility testing market, pharmaceutical companies are responding to such pressure by pouring resources into new technologies and procedures, some allocating more than $50 million of their capital per year into strengthening their sterility testing capabilities.

Trend: Shift Towards Automated Sterility Testing Methods to Reduce Human Error and Improve Reliability

As companies move towards the automated sterility testing market trend, it is becoming clear that the quest is to reduce human error and increase the reliability of tests performed. According to Astute Analytica's report in 2023, the segment of automated sterility testing is expected to expand vigorously thanks to investments exceeding $500 million in the automation industry. Saving human time and resources is critical, the numbers highlight why: In 2022, the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) reported that around a 25% of all test failures were directly linked to human error. The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) established that key players in sterility markets are turning to automation systems and some of them are spending more than $10 million individually on technologies of this type.

Automation clearly brings about efficiency as covid automated systems have evidently reduced the average time of testing by several hours for multiple batches. In 2023, these companies in the sterility testing market also made major steps toward automation and raised test accuracy that in turn decreased the chances of contaminating the product. As per Amaris Biological Technology 2023 report, businesses with automated solutions have completed over 1 million sterility tests together making this technology effective. The agglomeration and application of over 1,000 automated testing units worldwide in 2023 indicates a clear transition towards the region enhancing the reliability aspect of sterility testing due to the increasing complexity of pharmaceutical products. This perspective becomes more relevant among the phenomena as companies work toward gaining The Edge by entering into the automatons making it essential to integrate advanced technologies.

Challenge: Complex Regulatory Landscape Requiring Compliance with Diverse International Sterility Testing Standards

Complex set of regulations continues to be a barrier to the growth of the Sterility Testing market since each region has its own different standards. The Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS) reported in 2023 that pharmaceutical companies are spending more than $2 billion annually to ensure that they are compliant with regulations. Weak laws in various areas remain a challenge for the market. Over 120 warning letters on non-compliance to aseptic techniques in sterility testing were issued by the FDA and EMA for the year 2022 demonstrating the enforcement intensity.

Astute Analytica’s recent report on the sterility testing market noted that companies spend a lot of money, sometimes over tens of millions of dollars, just to comply with the requirements of different regulators. According to another study by the World Health Organization in 2023, around 40% of newly developed drug types require its own sterility testing approach which makes things even harder. There are monetary consequences such as the risk of incurring penalties amounting to several million dollars as well as damaging one’s reputation that one faces if they are not compliant in the first place. In this difficult environment, the right amount of adherence to compliance frameworks, focuses on expertise and infrastructures which aim at maintaining the quality and safety of drugs globally will be necessary thanks to the continuing evolution of the industry.

Segmental Analysis 

Sterility Testing Kits to Continue Dominating Until 2032

Sterility test kits are becoming the top choice of consumers in the sterility testing market, breaking barriers during the forecast period. This has made their use essential among many industries like Pharmaceuticals, Biotech, and medical devices among others. These primary sterility test kits are also gaining traction because they are easy and cheap to use, and their results are accessible faster than the traditional measures. Sales of kits alone have generated over US$ 545.6 million in annual revenues which has significantly improved the market valuation for sterility testing in recent years. One of the industries that looks to be fueling this growth trend is the pharmaceutical industry that has an annual intake of nearly 3.5 million sterility test kits. They also pump in their portability and ease of use that allow on-site testing with a 60% quicker turnaround rate. In this case, membrane filtration and inoculation kits are the most popular, with the latter being reported to be used in over 21,00 biotechnology companies across the world. The combined shipments of Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck KGaA accounted for roughly 500,000 kits providing an annual boost to the company. In many tests, the precision of these first sterility test kits reached 99.9%, which added more credibility to their reliability as compared to the older forms.

The demand for sterility testing kits is supported by stringent rules and regulations, as well as increasing biopharmaceutical production with over 500 new biologics reaching clinical development stage annually. In addition, the growing trend of outsourcing of sterility testing to specialized firms which does over 700 million tests in a year, has also brought to the fore the effectiveness of kits as they give scalability for volume sterilization in the sterility testing market. Other major changes include the system integration of kits which simplified the testing procedures in over 85% of the best pharmaceutical companies.

Membrane Filtration Test to Lead the Market 

According to the latest data, the membrane filtration test is set to drive the sterility testing market owing to its increasing adoption and is expected to generate revenue of approximately US$ 513.18 million. Its growing sensitivity and compatibility can be attributed to its widespread application across a variety of industries. It is evident that the three methods; ‘direct transfer’, ‘product flush’, and ‘microbial filtration’, differ in their possibility to determine the presence of microorganisms. Specifically the presence of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria, yeasts, and molds etc. This is accomplished by filtering the sample through a membrane which holds these microorganisms, that later are cultured to determine sterility. Its use is especially critical in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and food and beverage industries as even the slightest contamination can risk product safety. It can be seen that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have increasingly adopted membrane filtration methods for sterility testing with the latest figures showing more than 15,000 labs throughout the globe utilizing this quality control method. The large proliferation can also be justified by the fact that the test complies with both the role of the USP and EP regulations.

The evolution of the sterility testing market is integrated with the heightened accuracy and consistency provided by the membrane filtration test method. Furthermore, it ensures the most accurate results irrespective of the quantity and variety of the samples collected. In the recent studies, its performance has been even more robust with it being validated successfully over 5000 times in various biotech applications. Moreover, even in those situations where product inhibition is a concern, the method comes in handy as it aids in getting rid of the microorganisms from the sample integrally minimizing the chances of false negatives. At the same time, the market has also benefitted from the increased integration in automated systems. Plans to integrate an additional 1200 automated systems in the previous year saw the market grow greatly as well as ensuring that the systems that were integrated amplified the throughput while lowering the possibility of humans making mistakes. 

Pharmaceutical Companies to Remain the Frontrunner 

Pharmaceutical companies dominate the sterility testing market due to the critical need to ensure the safety and efficacy of their products. In 2023, the global pharmaceutical market was valued at US$ 1.6 trillion. In 2023, the pharmaceutical companies contributed nearly US$ 490 million to the market valuation and are poised to keep growing at a robust CAGR of 11.95% in the years to come. The rise in valuation of the segment is propelled by the rise in sterile product sales, which caused an increase of 15% in sterility testing operations across the planet. Regulations such as those implemented by U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency contribute greatly with more than 75 countries having implemented similar sterility testing measures. On average pharmaceutical companies are able to each carry out around 200 sterility tests per product line devoted to combating these regulations each year. In addition, the huge cost of dilution particularly that 100 million dollars for a single product that has been recalled demonstrates why diluting tests can become even more significant.

Research and development of sterility testing have an annual expenditure of approximately US$ 200 million in the pharmaceutical industry. The North American and European countries are the dominant regions in the sterility testing market as more than 60% of the global sterility testing facilities are located there, highlighting their developed health care system. The biopharmaceutical industry, which is currently experiencing a 10% growth rate in new products launches per year, requires extensive sterility testing. The number of specialized laboratories offering sterility testing services has increased by over 25% in the last five years. Furthermore, the number of new product specific sterility test methods which are developed and validated has increased by 30%, providing assurance for new products. The pharmaceutical sector is the largest consumer in the market due its wide range of activities and broad set of regulatory obligations with an aim of providing safe and effective products.

Pharmaceutical Products to Hold Lion’s Share in Market

The sterility testing market is majorly dominated by pharmaceutical products. According to research, this segment earned a revenue of US$ 471.72 million in 2023, and over the next few years this segment is forecast to expand at a CAGR of 11.44%. In the pharmaceutical setting, sterility testing is essential practice because it has to satisfy the high safety and efficacy standards required of products that are going to be used by human beings. Pharmaceuticals are the primary consumers of sterility testing because these products, especially those which are injected or infused, need to be free from all microbial contamination. This is essential since such products bypass the natural defense mechanisms of the body. In 2023, the global pharmaceutical market was approximately US$ 1.6 trillion due to the rising use of biologics and injectable drugs. There is an increased market type that supports this which is the increased production of biopharmaceuticals that require extensive sterility testing as they are more complex. In 2023, the FDA has received over 5,000 applications for new drugs meaning that it is necessary to conduct wide-ranging sterility testing to avoid potential harm and meet standards.

Some of the pharmaceutical products with the highest requirements of sterility testing include, biologicals, IVFs, and even vaccines with an increase in their production on the back of increasing emphasis on personalized medicine and pandemic preparedness strategies. Furthermore, said products require sterility assessment, with the vaccines market alone boasting in reaching a milestone of $90 billion in revenue amidst the good demand for sterile pharmaceuticals which also uplifted expansion for sterility testing market. Additionally, the biologics market is also expected to reach $ 1011.89 billion by 2030 further showing the increasing significance of market testing standards. In addition, considering the wide range of new therapies, as well as the new precision medicine that the pharmaceutical sector puts out on the market, sterility testing has been given deep importance bearing in mind the trust of people in medications and the health of the general population. On top of that, this sector doesn’t only maintain compliance with international regulations but also strengthens its market position as a core key in the development of global healthcare, especially considering that each year statistically speaking over 50,000 pharmaceutical items go through a sterility test.

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Regional Analysis 

At present, the sterility testing market is still dominated by North America, with the United States and Canada at the forefront. It should also not be ignored that the region`s market will continue to be one of the major ones as it has been predicted to grow at a CAGR of 11.43% and is estimated to be worth over US$ 1,331.61 million by 2032. This is mostly because the U.S. population acts as the major contributor of this demand, being the most advanced biopharmaceutical market. More than US$ 7 billion have been received annually for investments in research activities for the development of new medicines and medical devices. Interestingly, the U.S. government is a major funder in health care research, particularly the National Institutes of Health which spends millions of dollars yearly on scientific research such as sterility testing. This, as a result, leads the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) among other regulatory bodies such as FDA amends and imposes strict control measures that meet cGMP standards. Furthermore, the pharmaceutical industry in the United States has been characterized by an explosion in the introduction of new drugs every year which calls for effective sterility testing standards. It also has a number of academic and private research institutions that enhance testing methods, which also makes the region to be competitive.

Europe is the second largest sterility testing market worldwide, following North America, with Germany, the United Kingdom, and France being considered the forefront of the market. This is because they have a well-developed pharmaceutical industry, as is the case in Germany which has over 1,000 pharmaceutical companies. The European Union regulatory framework including bodies like European Medicine Agency enforces strict regulations that promote safety and effectiveness of the drugs and hence the need for advanced sterility testing. The amount of money spent on research and development in Europe is in excess of several hundreds of billions in one year, and out of this amount a large percentage goes into pharmaceutical and biological development. In addition, the region has a well-established structure for clinical research, with thousands of clinical trials held every year, creating the demand for tight sterility testing. The partnership between industry and academia in Europe encourages the development of new testing concepts and then helps the region to retain its place in the market.

Top Players in Global Sterility Testing Market 

• Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
• Charles River Laboratories International, Inc
• Sartorius AG
• SGS S.A.
• bioMérieux SA
• Eurofins Scientific
• Alcami Corporation
• Steris plc
• Pace analytical
• Nelson Laboratories, LLC – A Sotera Health company
• Viroxy Sdn. Bhd
• Pacific BioLabs, Inc.
• WuXi AppTec
• Bioquell (Ecolab Solution)
• Merck
• Other Prominent Players

Market Segmentation Overview:

By Product

• Kits
• Services
• Instruments

By Test

• Membrane Filtration
• Direct Transfer
• Product Flush

By Application

• Medical Devices
• Pharmaceutical products
• Other applications

By End User

• Hospitals & Clinics
• Pharmaceutical Companies
• Research Laboratories
• Others

By Region

• North America
  • The U.S.
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • Western Europe
    • The U.K.
    • Germany
    • France
    • Spain
    • Italy
    • Rest of Western Europe
  • Eastern Europe
    • Poland
    • Russia
    • Rest of Eastern Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • ASEAN
  • South Korea
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Middle East & Africa (MEA)
  • UAE
  • Turkey
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Rest of MEA
• South America
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Rest of South America