Peptide therapeutics market seen hitting $83.8B by 2035

Market Research Future projects the global peptide therapeutics market will grow from $46.73 billion in 2026 to $83.80 billion by 2035, powered by GLP-1 and multi-agonist drugs, AI discovery tools and better oral delivery. The forecast points to a bigger commercial role for peptides in metabolic disease, oncology and rare disease treatment.

Why it matters: - Peptides are moving from a niche drug class into a core platform for diabetes, obesity, oncology and rare disease treatment. - The market’s growth would reshape drug discovery, manufacturing and prescribing, especially if oral delivery expands use beyond specialty care. - The forecast also signals more investment in AI-enabled design and peptide manufacturing capacity.

What happened: - Market Research Future projected the global peptide therapeutics market will rise from $46.73 billion in 2026 to $83.80 billion by 2035. - The forecast implies a 6.7% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2035. - The market base was estimated at $43.80 billion in 2025. - The report was published Aug. 17, 2026. - A free sample and detailed report are available.

The details: - GLP-1 receptor agonists and multi-agonist drugs are the biggest growth engine. - Combined global revenue for GLP-1 receptor agonists topped $50 billion in 2024. - Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema and Eli Lilly’s retatrutide are positioned as next-generation multi-agonist therapies. - Phase III data cited in the report showed weight-loss efficacy above 20% for those candidates. - The report said AI models are cutting peptide lead-identification timelines from 18 months to under 8 weeks. - Absci, Evotec and Peptilogics raised a combined $1.3 billion from 2023 to 2025 to build generative AI peptide platforms. - Oral delivery is another major shift. - The report cited the FDA approval of oral semaglutide and late-2024 Phase III data on oral amycretin. - Continuous-flow solid-phase peptide synthesis is reducing solvent use by 40% and cycle times by 50% versus batch processing, according to the report. - Novo Nordisk announced a $4.1 billion peptide API plant in North Carolina in June 2024. - The report called that the largest single-site peptide production expansion in U.S. history.

Between the lines: - The forecast shows how the market is being pulled by both demand and infrastructure. - On the demand side, obesity and metabolic disease are expanding the commercial case for incretin drugs. - On the supply side, manufacturing scale-up and AI design tools are lowering barriers to faster development. - The report also suggests oral peptides could shift prescribing into primary care, which would widen the market beyond endocrinology and specialist clinics. - Competition is intensifying as large drugmakers lock in next-generation candidates and manufacturing capacity.

What's next: - The report expects oral peptide formulations to keep advancing through Phase III trials. - It projects AI-driven design will produce 60% of peptide lead candidates by 2030. - It also forecasts discovery-to-IND timelines could fall from five years to under three as robotic synthesis and closed-loop AI cycles mature. - The report sees continued expansion in oncology peptides, radioligand combinations and generic peptides as patents expire. - Long term, the market’s growth will depend on whether oral delivery, AI design and lower-cost manufacturing translate into broader real-world use.