Novo Nordisk leads a concentrated peptide therapeutics market

The peptide therapeutics market is dominated by a small group of drugmakers, with Novo Nordisk holding the biggest share in 2024, according to The Business Research Company. The report points to rising competition around long-acting formulations, AI-enabled discovery and targeted delivery as companies race to serve metabolic disease, oncology and rare-disease markets.

Why it matters: - Peptide therapeutics are becoming a bigger battleground for drugmakers focused on diabetes, obesity, cancer and rare diseases. - The market’s concentration means a few companies control much of the revenue, while new technology and manufacturing scale remain key barriers for challengers. - Competitive moves in peptide drug development can shape treatment access, adherence and product leadership across global pharmaceutical markets.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published its Peptide Therapeutics Global Market Report 2026 covering market size, trends and forecasts for 2026-2035. - Novo Nordisk A/S led global peptide therapeutics sales in 2024 with a 27% market share. - The market’s top 10 players accounted for 50% of total revenue in 2024. - Major companies in the market include Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi SA, Amgen Inc., Novartis AG, Ipsen S.A., AstraZeneca plc, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited. - The report highlights the full report and a free sample request.

The details: - Novo Nordisk’s peptide portfolio includes GLP-1 receptor agonists and insulin analogs used for diabetes, obesity and other metabolic disorders. - The company’s long-acting and targeted formulations are positioned to improve patient outcomes and treatment adherence. - Eli Lilly and Company held 17% market share, while Sanofi SA had 2%. - Amgen Inc., Novartis AG, Ipsen S.A. and AstraZeneca plc each held 1%. - Ferring Pharmaceuticals held 0.1%, Pfizer Inc. held 0.1% and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited held 0.02%. - Other named companies in the competitive landscape include AbbVie Inc., Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co Inc., GlaxoSmithKline plc, Zealand Pharma AG and SELLAS Life Sciences Group. - Major raw material suppliers include Bachem Holding AG, PolyPeptide Laboratories BV, CEM Corporation, Merck KGaA, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., CSBio Company Inc., AAPPTec LLC, Iris Biotech GmbH, GL Biochem Ltd., Santa Cruz Biotechnology Inc. and ChemPep Inc. - Major wholesalers and distributors include McKesson Corporation, Cencora Inc., Cardinal Health Inc., PHOENIX Pharmahandel GmbH & Co KG, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., Celesio AG, Sinopharm Group Co. Ltd., Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co. Ltd., Zuellig Pharma Holdings Ltd., EVERSANA Company, FFF Enterprises Inc. and DKSH Holding Ltd. - Major end users include Novo Nordisk A/S, Eli Lilly and Company, Sanofi S.A., Amgen Inc., Novartis AG, AstraZeneca plc, Pfizer Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, AbbVie Inc., Merck & Co. Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline plc.

Between the lines: - High barriers to entry are helping keep the market concentrated. - Those barriers include complex peptide synthesis, strict clinical development requirements, heavy R&D spending and specialized manufacturing. - Companies are competing on advanced synthesis, long-acting formulations, targeted delivery, clinical efficacy, stability, bioavailability and regulatory compliance. - High-throughput peptide discovery platforms are reshaping development by speeding lead identification and broadening target coverage. - In January 2024, Sanyou Biopharmaceuticals launched a super-trillion peptide molecule discovery platform with nearly 30 trillion sequence capacity, AI-driven design and phage display technology. - The company said the platform’s ultra-large libraries and scalable discovery tools improve identification speed, affinity profiling and drug development across disease areas.

What's next: - The report expects innovation, strategic collaborations and manufacturing expansion to further strengthen leading companies’ positions. - The Business Research Company says demand growth in metabolic disorders, oncology and rare diseases should keep pushing product development and competition. - The 2026 report edition adds market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics, Excel-based forecasting dashboards and updated hotspot and trend visuals.

The bottom line: - Novo Nordisk is still the clear leader, but the next phase of competition is likely to hinge on discovery technology, formulation advances and the ability to scale peptide production efficiently.