by For pharmaceutical companies, choosing an oral solid dose CDMO is about much more than finding a facility with tablet presses. A reliable partner needs to understand formulation development, process optimization, scale-up, clinical manufacturing, commercial production, packaging, analytical testing, and technology transfer.
This becomes even more important as drug formulations become more complex and companies look for partners that can move a product from development to commercial supply without unnecessary technology-transfer challenges.
According to Towards Healthcare, the U.S. oral solid dosage CDMO sector was valued at USD 14.38 billion in 2025, is expected to reach USD 15.33 billion in 2026, and is projected to reach approximately USD 27.2 billion by 2035, representing a 6.58% CAGR from 2026 to 2035.
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So, which CDMOs stand out for oral solid dose manufacturing?
Leading CDMOs for Oral Solid Dose Manufacturing
Based on Towards Healthcare’s company analysis, the leading providers include Catalent, Thermo Fisher Scientific/Patheon, Lonza, Piramal Pharma Solutions, Recipharm, Adare Pharma Solutions, PCI Pharma Services, Bora Pharmaceuticals, Alcami, and Metrics Contract Services.
1. Catalent
Catalent is one of the most prominent companies in oral solid dosage development and manufacturing.
Its capabilities span oral solid dosage development, formulation, clinical manufacturing, and commercial tablet and capsule production. Towards Healthcare also identifies Catalent’s proprietary platforms, including Zydis ODT and OptiForm, as part of its oral dosage offering.
This broad capability makes Catalent particularly relevant for pharmaceutical companies looking for support across multiple stages of the product lifecycle.
2. Thermo Fisher Scientific / Patheon
Thermo Fisher Scientific, through its Patheon pharmaceutical services business, provides integrated development and manufacturing support.
Its capabilities include oral solid dosage development, commercial manufacturing, packaging, analytical services, and clinical supply. Towards Healthcare also highlights Patheon Quick to Clinic and Patheon Quadrant among its relevant technologies and services.
The company’s integrated infrastructure can be valuable for sponsors seeking a partner capable of supporting both development and larger-scale production.
3. Lonza
Lonza has extensive experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and oral dosage technologies.
Towards Healthcare identifies capabilities including oral dosage formulation, capsules, commercial manufacturing, high-potency oral solid dosage, jet milling, and spray-dried dispersions.
Its experience with complex formulations makes it particularly relevant when conventional tableting approaches are not enough.
4. Piramal Pharma Solutions
Piramal Pharma Solutions provides integrated development and manufacturing capabilities across pharmaceutical products.
Towards Healthcare identifies its oral solid dosage capabilities across tablets, capsules, specialty formulations, pediatric formulations, API integration, formulation development, and commercial production.
Its global manufacturing footprint also allows pharmaceutical companies to access development and production capabilities across different stages.
5. Recipharm
Recipharm is another established CDMO with significant oral solid dosage expertise.
Towards Healthcare highlights high-volume oral solid production, formulation, packaging, and lifecycle management capabilities. The company also provides integrated drug-development and manufacturing services.
For companies requiring commercial-scale production, Recipharm’s manufacturing infrastructure is an important consideration.
Other Strong Oral Solid Dose CDMOs
The competitive landscape extends beyond the largest global providers.
Adare Pharma Solutions
Adare specializes in oral drug delivery and formulation technologies, including modified-release tablets, taste masking, and specialized oral formulations.
PCI Pharma Services
PCI combines oral solid manufacturing, packaging, and clinical supply services, making it relevant for companies looking for more integrated support around drug-product commercialization.
Bora Pharmaceuticals
Bora has expanded its U.S. CDMO presence and provides capabilities covering tablets, capsules, and commercial manufacturing.
Alcami
Alcami provides formulation development, analytical testing, and commercial oral solid manufacturing, making it a relevant option for companies seeking development-to-production support.
Metrics Contract Services
Metrics focuses on oral solid dosage formulation development and manufacturing, including tablets, capsules, and modified-release formulations.
The Numbers Behind Oral Solid Dose CDMO Demand
The growth of oral solid manufacturing is not just about higher production volumes. Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly outsourcing specialized formulation and manufacturing activities.
Towards Healthcare estimates the global oral solid dosage contract manufacturing sector at USD 41.08 billion in 2025, rising to USD 43.65 billion in 2026 and approximately USD 75.26 billion by 2035. The sector is projected to expand at a 6.24% CAGR from 2026 to 2035.
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Large companies accounted for 56% of the global oral solid dosage contract manufacturing sector in 2025, while medium and small companies represented 34%.
In the U.S., large pharmaceutical companies accounted for 42% of the customer-type share in 2025, while branded drug manufacturers represented 44% of the end-user share.
These figures show why CDMOs need to offer more than basic manufacturing capacity.
Commercial Manufacturing Is a Major Requirement
For many pharmaceutical companies, the ultimate goal is not simply to manufacture clinical batches. They need a partner capable of supporting commercial-scale production.
Towards Healthcare reports that commercial manufacturing represented 37% of the U.S. oral solid dosage CDMO sector in 2025, making it the largest service-type segment.
That demand is being supported by the need for:
- Large-scale tablet production
- Capsule manufacturing
- Generic drug manufacturing
- Complex formulation capabilities
- Flexible production capacity
- Packaging and serialization
- Technology transfer
- Long-term commercial supply
Why Oral Solid Dose Manufacturing Can Be Complex
Tablets and capsules may look simple to patients, but their manufacturing process can be highly technical.
A typical oral solid product can involve:
API – preformulation – granulation – blending – compression – coating – testing – packaging – commercial distribution
Each stage needs to be carefully controlled.
Factors such as particle size, flow properties, solubility, compression behavior, dissolution, stability, and drug-release characteristics can affect the final product.
For complex APIs, the formulation challenge can become even greater. CDMOs may need specialized technologies such as spray drying, hot-melt extrusion, advanced coating, modified-release systems, or particle engineering.
Towards Healthcare identifies advanced technologies such as spray-dried dispersions, high-potency OSD, jet milling, and specialized release technologies among the capabilities offered by leading providers.
Modified-Release and Complex Formulations Are Creating New Demand
Not every tablet is designed to release its drug immediately.
Extended-release, delayed-release, orally disintegrating, chewable, and other specialized formulations require additional formulation expertise.
This is where specialist CDMOs can provide significant value.
Towards Healthcare highlights technologies and services covering immediate-release tablets, extended-release formulations, modified-release products, chewable tablets, orally disintegrating tablets, capsules, powders, granules, and other oral formats.
For pharmaceutical companies, this means CDMO selection can directly influence how efficiently a formulation moves from concept to commercial product.
The Rise of Complex Drug Formulations
One of the important trends identified by Towards Healthcare is the increasing complexity of drug formulations.
Companies are developing products with challenging solubility characteristics, highly potent APIs, specialized release profiles, and more sophisticated delivery requirements.
This is encouraging CDMOs to invest in:
- Advanced formulation technologies
- Continuous manufacturing
- Automated production
- Process analytical technology
- High-containment manufacturing
- Advanced analytical testing
- Digital manufacturing systems
- Specialized packaging
Towards Healthcare also notes that personalized medicine and increasing drug-development complexity are contributing to demand for specialized oral solid dosage CDMO services.
Recent Developments Are Showing Where the Industry Is Heading
The CDMO landscape is continuing to evolve.
In June 2026, AustinPx partnered with Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Patheon Pharma Services to install KinetiSol Technology equipment at Patheon’s oral solid drug manufacturing sites in Bend, Oregon, and Cincinnati, Ohio. The collaboration is designed to expand KinetiSol capabilities from development and scale-up through commercial production.
This type of development illustrates an important industry trend: CDMOs are increasingly combining specialized formulation technologies with commercial manufacturing infrastructure.
What Should Companies Look for in an OSD CDMO?
There is no single CDMO that is automatically the best choice for every pharmaceutical program.
The right partner depends on the molecule, formulation, development stage, production volume, regulatory requirements, and target markets.
Companies should evaluate:
Formulation Expertise
Can the CDMO handle the molecule’s solubility, stability, release, and bioavailability challenges?
Scale-Up Capabilities
Can the formulation move from laboratory development to pilot and commercial manufacturing without major process changes?
Manufacturing Capacity
Does the facility have sufficient tablet presses, capsule equipment, granulation systems, coating lines, and packaging infrastructure?
Analytical Capabilities
Can the CDMO perform appropriate testing for dissolution, stability, impurities, content uniformity, and other critical quality attributes?
Regulatory Experience
Does the provider have experience supporting regulated pharmaceutical products across the target markets?
Commercial Support
Can the CDMO continue supporting the product after clinical development and technology transfer?
Packaging and Serialization
Can the provider support the final packaging, serialization, and supply-chain requirements?
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