Report Description

The Drug Repurposing Market Report (2025–2033) provides a comprehensive evaluation of how pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, CROs, and academic research institutions are transforming global healthcare pipelines through the accelerated identification and development of new therapeutic uses for existing drugs. This market is set to expand rapidly, moving from USD 28.6 billion in 2025 to USD 64.2 billion by 2033, driven by development cost savings, time-to-market efficiencies, AI-driven drug discovery, and regulatory flexibility across major geographies.

Oncology remains the largest segment, accounting for nearly half of all repurposing projects by 2033, fueled by unmet needs in rare cancers, immuno-oncology, and checkpoint inhibitor combinations. Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, and rare epilepsies are also a fast-rising area, supported by academic research and real-world evidence initiatives. Infectious diseases, especially in the post-COVID and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) context, are gaining substantial funding, while cardiovascular and metabolic diseases continue to deliver the highest cost savings in repurposing pipelines.

The study highlights how AI, big data analytics, and real-world evidence (RWE) are accelerating candidate screening, clinical trial efficiency, and patient stratification. Platforms that leverage EHR datasets and predictive modeling now support over half of all repurposed project launches by 2033, reducing protocol failures and improving regulatory submission success rates. This digital-first approach shortens clinical timelines by 32–38 months compared to novel drug development, with average project costs reduced to around $237 million versus $680 million for new molecular entities.

From a drug type and strategy perspective, small molecules dominate with more than 70% of the market, though biologics are rapidly scaling their share from 18% in 2025 to 32% by 2033. Off-label use continues to drive early-stage adoption, but new indications and reformulations generate the highest revenue, especially in cardiovascular and metabolic drugs where reformulation enables lifecycle extension and broader patient access. Combination therapies, fixed-dose regimens, and novel delivery systems are increasingly used to differentiate market positioning and secure intellectual property extensions.

Regional trends show North America leading with 37% of global launches, underpinned by NIH, NCI, and Cancer Moonshot initiatives, alongside strong partnerships between academia and industry. Europe remains a critical hub with EMA-led funding for neurological and metabolic research, while Asia-Pacific demonstrates the fastest growth, with China, Singapore, Korea, and Japan building extensive repurposing platforms focused on oncology and infectious diseases. Latin America and the Middle East & Africa are emerging players, leveraging cost advantages and national health initiatives to scale repurposing efforts.

Technology innovation is reshaping repurposing workflows. AI-driven screening, digital twin clinical trials, real-time analytics, and novel delivery systems are streamlining project pipelines. Predictive “virtual trials” already support more than one-third of repurposed launches, raising trial transition rates by nearly 20% and lowering failure rates by over 20%. Patent activity is robust, with more than 150 new patent families filed between 2024–2029 in repurposed indication spaces, combination therapies, and digital platform technologies.

The competitive landscape features global pharmaceutical leaders like Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche, CROs such as IQVIA and Parexel, and academic consortia with significant investments in neurology and rare diseases. Digital trial platforms like Medidata and TriNetX play a growing role in enabling RWE-driven submissions. Together, these stakeholders are driving alliances, licensing deals, and M&A, with more than $8 billion in repurposing-related platform and technology acquisitions since 2022. Value-based contracting, payer engagement, and regulatory safe harbor pathways are emerging as critical enablers of commercialization success.

The report further explores scenario-based forecasting. Under the base case, the market is expected to achieve USD 64.2 billion by 2033. In a digital accelerator scenario, faster AI and payer integration could push values beyond USD 77 billion, while compliance delays or macroeconomic shocks could slow growth to USD 41 billion. Regardless of scenario, the structural benefits of lower cost, faster time-to-market, and growing regulatory support make repurposing an enduring driver of pharmaceutical innovation.

In summary, this report delivers a detailed roadmap for stakeholders seeking to capitalize on drug repurposing opportunities. It identifies oncology, neurology, and infectious diseases as primary growth drivers, highlights AI and RWE platforms as transformative technologies, and emphasizes regional deployment strategies that will shape the industry’s trajectory. Investors, regulators, payers, and R&D organizations can leverage this analysis to optimize strategy, mitigate risks, and capture the next wave of growth in drug repurposing from 2025 through 2033.