January 2025
The global preparative and process chromatography market size is calculated at USD 11.36 billion in 2024, grew to USD 12.39 billion in 2025, and is projected to reach around USD 27.16 billion by 2034. The market is expanding at a CAGR of 9.11% between 2025 and 2034. The growing demand for insulin and other biopharmaceutical products, innovations in process and preparative chromatography, and increasing research and development activities drive the market.
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Chromatography is a laboratory technique used to isolate a mixture of components using different methods. Depending on the type of experiment, chromatography can be either analytical or preparative. Analytical chromatography is used to analyze a component qualitatively for research purposes, while preparative chromatography involves isolating and purifying sufficient quantities of a specific component from a sample. Process chromatography is a technique for separating the components of a mixture by taking advantage of the differences in their mobility as they pass through a column.
Preparative and process chromatography is a widely accepted purification technique that has numerous applications in diverse fields. It is used in the production of various pharmaceuticals, biomolecules, food ingredients, as well as fine and base chemicals. The rapidly expanding pharmaceutical and biotechnology research activities boost market growth. The growing demand for pure compounds during large-scale downstream processing due to stringent regulations augments the market. The increasing investments and technological advancements support more advanced research, potentiating market growth.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithms have been found to revolutionize chromatography techniques by facilitating expedited, more precise, and more effective data processing. AI and ML can automate the entire chromatographic process, especially on a large scale. This aids in improved efficiency and limited human intervention, reducing manual errors. AI-enabled predictive analysis can detect potential errors and defects during the chromatographic process. This allows researchers to make timely decisions. AI can also optimize chromatography methods based on multiple objectives, such as minimizing the analysis time while maximizing the resolution and peak capacity. Additionally, AI can aid in analyzing chromatographic peaks, improving the accuracy by comparing the retention times and spectral data of peaks. Thus, AI can significantly improve the efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of chromatography methods.
New Drug Discovery Research
The rising incidences and prevalence of chronic disorders necessitate the development of novel drugs for their treatment, promoting the preparative and process chromatography market. New drug discovery research is on the rise, owing to technological advancements and increasing investments. Several regulatory agencies impose stringent guidelines regarding impurities and foreign substances in drug products. The presence of foreign substances may pose a significant threat to human health. Thus, purifying drug compounds is essential to pass the stringent regulatory process. Preparative chromatography upscale the purification of compounds from research to production scale in a reproducible way.
Furthermore, the demand for natural products as a potential treatment regimen is also increasing due to fewer adverse effects and easy availability. Preparative chromatography has also shown greater convenience, high purity, and speed in the separation and purification of active ingredients from natural products. Hence, preparative and process chromatography is a part of numerous pharmaceutical & biotech companies as well as research organizations.
High Installation Cost and Lack of Skilled Professionals
The major challenge of the preparative and process chromatography market is the high installation cost of the chromatography equipment. The preparative chromatography equipment may cost around $15,000 to $95,000. Apart from this, the maintenance cost of preparative chromatography is also high. The cost for preparative HPLC columns may range from $3,000 to $10,000. Another major challenge of the market is the lack of skilled professionals. Some low- and middle-income countries do not have sufficient trained professionals to perform complex chromatographic processes and operate instruments. This restricts the market growth in such regions.
Genomics and Proteomics
The growing demand for genomics and proteomics presents future preparative and process chromatography market growth opportunities. The demand for genomics and proteomics is rising due to personalized medicines and novel drug discovery and development. Preparative chromatography is an essential technique for genomics and proteomics. In proteomic analysis, the first and most important task is separating a complex protein mixture, i.e., the proteome mixture. Similarly, in genomics, preparative chromatography is used to isolate the genome of small bacterial viruses. This gives a deep understanding of the disease pathogenesis and drug resistance. Several government organizations provide funding to conduct genomics and proteomics research. The stringent regulatory frameworks also support genomics and proteomics research, augmenting market growth.
By product, the process chromatography segment held a dominant presence in the preparative and process chromatography market in 2024. Process chromatography is used to develop and manufacture biopharmaceuticals and biologicals for diagnostic purposes. The growing demand for biological products as therapeutics and the burgeoning biotech sector promote the segment’s growth. The need for large-scale production of biologicals also increases the demand for process chromatography.
By product, the preparative chromatography segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the market during the forecast period. The growing need for purifying pharmaceutical products, the development of advanced purification techniques, and the demand for more efficient and cost-effective processes potentiate the segment’s growth.
By type, the liquid chromatography segment led the global preparative and process chromatography market in 2024. Liquid chromatography is a technique used to separate molecules in a liquid mobile phase and a solid stationary phase. It is used for a wide range of samples as the only criterion is that the product should dissolve in the liquid mobile phase. Several researchers have introduced automation in the liquid chromatography equipment, making it easier to use. Moreover, the purification of components from the liquid mixture is simple.
By type, the hydrophobic interaction chromatography segment is anticipated to grow with the highest CAGR in the market during the studied years. Hydrophobic interaction chromatography (HIC) is used to separate and purify proteins/biomolecules by their hydrophobic interaction with the hydrophobic ligands coupled to porous media. The main application of HIC is to purify proteins that are essential for scientific research and applications in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical diagnostics.
By end-use, the pharmaceutical segment held the largest share of the preparative and process chromatography market in 2024. The segmental growth is attributed to the growing demand for new drug discovery, increasing research and development activities, and the rapidly expanding pharmaceutical sector.
By end-use, the biotechnology segment is predicted to witness significant growth in the market over the forecast period. The burgeoning biotech sector, growing demand for biologic therapeutics such as vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, and increasing investments propel the segment’s growth.
North America dominated the preparative and process chromatography market in 2024. The presence of key players, increasing investments, and favorable government policies drive the market. The key players, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Agilent Technologies, etc., hold a major share of the market. The U.S. and Canadian governments support chromatography by investing in research and development activities. The rising adoption of advanced technologies in R&D boosts the market. The new product launches also contribute to the market growth. In 2023, 1,146 patented medicines for human use were reported to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board (PMPRB), including 86 new medicines. Additionally, the Government of Canada reported that $82.1 billion was contributed by pharmaceuticals and medical manufacturing to Canada’s GDP in 2023. There are more than 5,000 pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. owing to its increased demand.
Asia-Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate in the preparative and process chromatography market during the forecast period. The growing research and development activities, increasing investments & collaborations, and the rapidly expanding biotech and pharmaceutical sector drive the market. The Indian Government laid out a budget of Rs. 5,000 crores for the Promotion of Research and Innovation in the Pharma Sector (PRIP) for 5 years from 2023-24 to 2027-28. China’s Ministry of Science and Technology announced that its R&D investment rose 8.1%, amounting to more than $458 billion. Additionally, new product launches fuel market growth. In 2023, China’s NMPA approved 27 biologicals out of the total 87 new drugs. The increasing number of pharmaceutical and biotechnology startups in Asia-Pacific also show positive growth in the market. The India Bioeconomy Report 2023 predicted around 35000 biotech startups by 2030.
Colin Jump, CEO of ePrep Pty Ltd, commented in an interview that ePrep was created to automate manual processes in laboratory sample preparation. He added that the company envisions further collaborations with other organizations to extend automated sample preparation through the entire workflow into HPLC or GC and then using mass spectrometry as a detector.
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