Drug Discovery Services - Company Evaluation Report, 2025 (Abridged Report)

The Drug Discovery Services Companies Quadrant is a comprehensive industry analysis that provides valuable insights into the global market for Drug Discovery Services. This quadrant offers a detailed evaluation of key market players, technological advancements, product innovations, and emerging trends shaping the industry. MarketsandMarkets 360 Quadrants evaluated over 150 companies, of which the Top 25 Drug Discovery Services Companies were categorized and recognized as the quadrant leaders.

Contract Research Organizations (CROs) provide a wide range of drug discovery services, including hit identification, medicinal chemistry, and hit-to-lead optimization. The growth of the drug discovery services market is primarily driven by increasing R&D investments from pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies, coupled with the expanding drug development pipeline, which has led to a greater need for outsourced analytical testing. Additional growth drivers include rising research initiatives for rare diseases and orphan drugs, as well as the high costs associated with in-house drug development. Furthermore, advancements in technology, the emergence of innovative drug discovery methods, the expiration of key drug patents, and the growing demand for specialized testing services among end users are creating new opportunities for market players.

The 360 Quadrant maps the Drug Discovery Services companies based on criteria such as revenue, geographic presence, growth strategies, investments, and sales strategies for the market presence of the Drug Discovery Services quadrant. The top criteria for product footprint evaluation included process (target selection, target validation, hit-to-lead identification, lead optimization, and candidate validation) type (chemistry services and biology services) drug type (small molecules and biologics) therapeutic area (oncology, infectious diseases, neurological diseases, immunological diseases, endocrine and metabolic diseases, respiratory diseases, digestive system diseases , cardiovascular diseases, genitourinary diseases and women’s health, and other therapeutic areas) end user (pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, academic institutes, and other end users).

Key Players:

Some of the prominent players are Labcorp (US), Eurofins Scientific (Germany), Charles River Laboratories (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Evotec (Germany), WuXi AppTec (China), Syngene International Limited (India), Curia Global Inc. (US), Dr. Reddy Laboratories Ltd. (Aurigene Pharmaceutical Servies Ltd.) (India), Pharmaron (China), and Piramal Enterprises Ltd. (India) and others. These players are increasingly focusing on product launches and enhancements, investments, partnerships, collaborations, joint ventures, funding, acquisitions, expansions, agreements, sales contracts, and alliances to strengthen their presence in the global market.

Top 3 Companies

LabCorp

LabCorp is a leading healthcare diagnostics company that delivers a broad range of clinical laboratory services and comprehensive drug development support. It serves a diverse client base, including hospitals, managed care organizations, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. The company operates through two main segments: LabCorp Diagnostics (Dx) and Biopharma Laboratory Services (BLS). The Dx segment functions as an independent clinical laboratory network, encompassing approximately 2,000 patient service centers across the U.S. The BLS segment supports the drug discovery and development pipeline, offering both early-phase and late-phase services. These include lead optimization, in vivo pharmacology, toxicology studies, and disease modeling for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and medical device companies. LabCorp is also a key provider of laboratory testing for the chemical and agrochemical industries and is recognized as a market leader in toxicology, central laboratory services, and discovery research.

Evotec

Evotec is a globally recognized drug discovery and development partner, collaborating with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, patient advocacy groups, and venture capital firms. The company offers a comprehensive suite of drug discovery services through fee-for-service projects, integrated discovery alliances, development partnerships, licensing agreements, and strategic consulting. Evotec operates through two core segments: EVT Execute and EVT Innovate. Both segments contribute to the company’s drug discovery offerings. EVT Execute focuses on scalable and high-quality drug discovery services, while EVT Innovate is centered on building and advancing innovative therapeutic projects through strategic partnerships and internal pipeline development.

Selvita

Selvita is a drug discovery company that provides a wide range of research and development services to support pharmaceutical innovation. Its capabilities span medicinal chemistry, process research, preclinical studies, ADME/DMPK, protein chemistry, analytical and industrial chemistry, and bioinformatics. The company also conducts comparative studies for biosimilars and undertakes integrated drug discovery projects, enabling clients to access end-to-end solutions tailored to their drug development needs. Show more