Pharmaceutical manufacturing or Drug manufacturing is a process of industrial-scale production of pharmaceutical drugs by pharmaceutical companies.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing is divided into two major stages, they are, primary processing, or manufacture, which produces the active ingredient or drug and secondary processing, in which it converts the active drugs into products suitable for administration.

Product preparation steps include granulation; drying; tablet pressing, printing, and coating; filling; and packaging.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Groups

Pharmaceutical groups that are manufactured include POM i.e. prescription only medicines, general ethical products and OTC i.e. over-the-counter products.

The proprietary ethical products or prescription only medicines i.e. POM, are usually patented products. General ethical products are standard prescription-only medicines made to a recognized formula that may be specified in standard industry reference books. Over-the counter or OTC, or non-prescription drugs are the products which are available as tablets, capsules, liquids.

The Pharmaceutical products manufactured groups

The major Pharmaceutical products manufactured groups are Antibiotics such as penicillin, other synthetic drugs such as antituberculosis drugs, Vitamins, Synthetic hormones, Glandular products, Drugs of vegetable origin such as quinine, Vaccines and sera, other pharmaceutical chemicals such as calcium gluconate, and Surgical sutures & dressings.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry Current Trends

As per the reports given by IBIS World, over the five years to 2012, there is a slight growth in the Global Pharmaceuticals and Medicine Manufacturing industry. The revenue is expected to reach about $1.0 trillion in 2012, up from an estimated $840 billion in 2007 and representing annualized growth of 4.0%.

According to Global Industry Analysts, Inc, the global market for pharmaceutical contract manufacturing is forecast to reach US$40.7 billion by the year 2015.

Major Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry Players

Some of the major Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Industry players are Pfizer Inc, Amgen Inc, Sanofi, Opko Health, and Abbot Laboratories etc.