The global Bacteriophages Market is estimated to be valued at USD 52.8 million in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 118.4 million by 2035, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4% over the forecast period. Increasing antibiotic failure rates in treating hospital-acquired infections are fueling demand for phage therapy. Regulatory bodies are offering clearer clinical pathways for bacteriophage approvals, enabling wider trial deployment.
Additionally, public sector support such as EU pharmacopoeia alignment and MHRA guidelines is boosting education and investment. Market momentum is also being strengthened through diversified applications in animal health, food safety, and environmental biocontrol. Advances in production-such as scaling phage manufacturing facilities and improving GMP compliance-have reduced logistical barriers.
With growing adoption of personalized phage cocktails and pipeline phages draining biofilm-laden infections, the market is entering a significant growth phase. Future opportunities lie in expanded intravenous, topical, and oral therapies, as well as collaboration models that integrate phage diagnostics into global antimicrobial stewardship programs.
Key developers in the bacteriophage space include Armata Pharmaceuticals, PHAXIAM, Technophage, BiomX, Locus Biosciences, Intralytix, and Adaptive Phage Therapeutics. These organizations are innovating with cocktail formulations, GMP manufacturing, and combination treatment pathways.
In 2025, PHAXIAM Therapeutics, developing innovative treatments for severe and resistant bacterial infections, announced today an update on the deployment of its ambitious strategy in the phage therapy market, enabling it to maximize its development potential. “We start 2025 with a clear ambition to position PHAXIAM as a Specialty Pharma in Critical care, in the booming phage therapy market.
By deploying our strategy around two complementary development axes, Individualized GMP-Phage Therapies (IPT) and Phage Therapies Medicinal Products (PTMP), we aim to maximize patient access to these innovative treatments. The strategic collaboration with Technophage is a major step forward on this pathway, which should enable us to introduce individualized phage therapy in key European hospitals and generate first revenue as early as 2026, enabling us to target operating profitability at end-2027.
We are convinced that with this accelerated and dual strategy, we will be able to radically change the way thousands of patients suffering from severe, resistant bacterial infections are treated in Europe.”” as stated by Thibaut du Fayet, CEO, PHAXIAM. These concerted efforts are guided by growing physician interest, government support, and the stabilization of phage regulatory frameworks-such as the European Pharmacopoeia guidance issued in March 2024 . Firms are simultaneously investing in phagogram-driven personalized care and advancing manufacturing platforms to bring phages closer to mainstream antimicrobial therapy.
North America is the most advanced phage therapy market, supported by a robust biotech ecosystem, dedicated clinical centres, and NIH/BARDA funding streams . FDA fast-track designations and growing OPAT models for chronic infections are fueling outpatient phage deployment. Rapid growth in chronic wound and biofilm infection treatment protocols has further accelerated adoption.
Strategic payer collaborations are emerging to support phage therapy reimbursement. Europe is experiencing steady market growth as national health systems-including the NHS and Germany’s G-BA-endorse phage therapy in selected AMR cases. France’s establishment of compassionate use pathways and Belgium’s magistral standards are pioneering model frameworks for personalized phage access. These trends along with R&D funding schemes, are deepening treatment infrastructure and driving commercial access across advanced healthcare systems.
In 2025, the oral route is expected to capture 97.0% of the revenue share in the bacteriophages market. This dominance has been driven by the simplicity, convenience, and non-invasive nature of oral administration, which is particularly advantageous for patients in need of long-term treatment regimens. Oral bacteriophage therapies are favoured due to their ability to directly target infections in the gastrointestinal tract, where they can act efficiently without the need for invasive procedures.
The ease of administration compared to intravenous or topical routes has contributed to its widespread adoption. Furthermore, oral formulations are easier to distribute and require less specialized healthcare infrastructure, which is crucial for broader access in both developed and emerging markets.
Additionally, the growing interest in personalized medicine, especially for chronic or recurrent infections, has led to the development of oral bacteriophage products tailored to specific pathogens. These factors have reinforced the dominance of the oral route in the bacteriophages market.
In 2025, the gastroenterology application segment is projected to account for 94.1% of the total revenue share in the bacteriophages market. This leadership position can be attributed to the increasing prevalence of gastrointestinal infections caused by antibiotic-resistant pathogens, which has driven the demand for alternative therapeutic solutions.
Bacteriophages, being highly specific to their bacterial targets, are particularly well-suited for treating gut-related infections, including those caused by Clostridium difficile and Escherichia coli. The growing concern over antibiotic resistance in the gut microbiome has further propelled the demand for bacteriophage therapy, which offers a targeted, less disruptive alternative to traditional antibiotics.
Additionally, gastroenterology-based applications of bacteriophages align with the rising trend toward personalized and precision medicine, offering tailored solutions for difficult-to-treat gastrointestinal conditions. The ability to combine bacteriophages with other therapeutic strategies for enhanced efficacy has also contributed to the segment’s dominance. These factors make gastroenterology the leading application area within the bacteriophages market.
Challenges
Regulatory Uncertainty and Commercialization Barriers
The growing enthusiasm for bacteriophage therapy is tempered by substantial regulatory uncertainty. Unlike traditional antibiotics, collectively caused by bacteriophages must be carefully chosen for specific bacterial strains, and customized preparations are required for their use against diverse infections. This specificity creates challenges for regulatory approval, as existing frameworks are typically cantered on broad-spectrum therapeutics. For example, in the USA and Europe absence of standardized guidance for bacteriophage based therapies have stymied advancement into clinical trials and consequent commercialization.
Furthermore wide-scale production of bacteriophages presents technical difficulties. To remain viable, stable, and potent, phage must also undergo sophisticated bioprocessing methods, which can be a prohibitive cost. The absence of broad clinical data contributes to lengthy timelines to market entry, leaving manufacturers in a vulnerable position to obtain financing or partnerships with healthcare providers.
Synthetic biology and other advances in biotechnology can make manufacturing bacteriophage treatments easier and cheaper, limiting their use to larger facilities and more expensive treatments.
Opportunity
Rising Demand for Antibiotic Alternatives and Precision Medicine
The growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is driving international interest in novel approaches to the treatment of infection and bacteriophages are positioned as a leading candidate. Novel classes of antibiotics have emerged in recent decades; however, the rising incidence of multi-drug resistant bacteria that are concurrently resistant to conventional antibiotics has led to phage therapy being touted as a targeted and more sustainable approach to treating and preventing bacterial infections and making its way into healthcare systems.
Some key advantages of phage therapy include its selective action against pathogenic bacteria, while leaving the beneficial microbiota intact. That renders it particularly valuable in the treatment of multidrug-resistant infections, gastrointestinal disorders, and wound infections. Precision medicine is also broadening the realm of bacteriophages, as scientists create personalized phage cocktails that fit the microbiomes of individual patients.
Recently, the bacteriophage market has begun to expand into agriculture and food safety): this is all the sectors of consumer goods outside healthcare. We use phages to reduce bacterial loads on livestock, dairy, and fresh produce, resulting in reduced antibiotic use in food. In conclusion, as the investment in biopharmaceutical research and regulation continually increases, we are seeing a lot of investment in the bacteriophage market, the bacteriophage market will probably flourish in next decade.
Growth of USA bacteriophage market attributed to rising concerns regarding antibiotic resistance and increasing demand for alternative antibacterial therapies. High concentration of biomedical firms and research labs that can fund phage therapy for bacterial infections is expected to drive the market growth. Agriculture is also working on bacteriophages for use in livestock health, minimizing antibiotic use.
| Country | CAGR (2025 to 2035) |
|---|---|
| USA | 4.2% |
The UK is in the forefront of attacking phage therapy thanks to universities and biotech companies working on developing phage-based solutions. Phage-based antibiotic-resistant infection treatments also have the support of the national health service (NHS) of the country and regulatory bodies, which is driving market growth. In addition, applications of bacteriophage on food safety and agricultural are also continuously going mainstream.
| Country | CAGR (2025 to 2035) |
|---|---|
| UK | 3.9% |
The leading market in the European Union is Germany, France, and the Netherlands due to high levels of precision medicine and microbiome-derived therapies research. Phage therapy is on the cusp of being available at scale, with international regulatory agencies working towards frameworks aimed at facilitating uptake (EMA). Moreover, the European Union (EU) is emphasizing significantly on reducing antibiotics in the food-producing animals that is expected to drive demand for bacteriophage applications in livestock and aquaculture even more.
| Country | CAGR (2025 to 2035) |
|---|---|
| European Union (EU) | 4.0% |
In Japan, the development of novel strategies to treat antibiotic-resistant infections is increasingly focused on the use of bacteriophages (phage’s), which are promising alternatives to antibiotics. Parasitic worms have played a critical role in the human immune response throughout evolution, and various pharmaceutical companies are now investing in bacteriophage treatments, particularly for the gastrointestinal tract (and for skin infections). Strict food safety policies have also promoted the use of bacteriophages in food preservation and aquaculture.
| Country | CAGR (2025 to 2035) |
|---|---|
| Japan | 4.1% |
There’s a strong biotech and pharmaceutical sector that South Korea’s bacteriophage market is taking advantage of. The country has invested significantly in R&D for phage-based treatments for both animal and human health. Moreover, enhanced synthetic biology in South Korea has led to a potential development of engineered bacteriophages for targeted use in medicine as well.
| Country | CAGR (2025 to 2035) |
|---|---|
| South Korea | 4.2% |
The bacteriophage market features a diverse range of suppliers across multiple tiers. Tier 1 players such as Life Extension, Arthur Andrew Medical, and Deerland Probiotics & Enzymes lead by integrating bacteriophages into dietary supplements and therapeutic products. Life Extension’s FLORASSIST® GI combines seven probiotic strains with a TetraPhage blend targeting harmful gut bacteria. Arthur Andrew Medical offers Floraphage®, a prebiotic multiplier enhancing probiotic efficacy.
Deerland, now part of ADM, markets PreforPro®, a novel prebiotic leveraging bacteriophage technology. Tier 2 firms like Designs for Health and The Biostation focus on specialized formulations combining phages and probiotics. Tier 3 companies including BioChimPharm, Micreos Human Health, Microgen, and IntraLytix engage in advanced research and therapeutic phage manufacturing.
The market remains moderately fragmented with entry barriers from regulatory approvals, capital-intensive R&D, and scientific expertise. Increasing focus on antimicrobial resistance and eco-friendly alternatives drives innovation and competitive consolidation across tiers.
Recent Bacteriophage Industry News
In March 2025, Micreos Pharmaceuticals partnered with Northway Biotech, a biologics CDMO, to advance clinical development of its engineered endolysin therapies. This collaboration aims to accelerate manufacturing, with Northway Biotech delivering cGMP drug substance material by late summer 2024.
Professor Vladas Algirdas Bumelis, CEO and Chairman of Northway Biotech, said, “We are honored to contribute to Micreos’ innovative engineered endolysin therapies.” The partnership includes technology scale-up and regulatory support to meet clinical trial standards. This information is sourced from Northway Biotech’s official blog and PharmaSource Global’s March 2025 report.
The Bacteriophage Market was valued at approximately USD 52.8 million in 2025.
The market is projected to reach USD 118.4 million by 2035, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.0% from 2025 to 2035.
The demand for Bacteriophage Market is expected to be driven by the increasing focus on bacteriophage therapy as an alternative to antibiotics, rising applications in agricultural disease control, growing research investments in targeted bacterial infection treatments, and advancements in phage-based biopesticides.
The top 5 countries contributing to the Bacteriophage Market are the United States, Canada, Germany, France, and Japan.
The Pharmaceutical and Agricultural Applications segment is expected to lead the Bacteriophage market, driven by increasing research on antimicrobial resistance solutions, expanding use of phage therapy in livestock health management, and growing demand for eco-friendly alternatives in crop protection.
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Bacteriophage Market
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