Drug Discovery Global Market Report 2025

Drug discovery is the systematic process of identifying biologically active compounds with therapeutic potential. The journey from ideation to development and approval aims to discover new clinical drugs for treating various diseases, whether they are new, existing, or previously incurable.

The drug discovery market involves two main types of drugs include small molecule and large molecule. Small molecules are utilized to identify compounds with suitable properties for development, referring to low molecular weight drugs that can efficiently penetrate cells. The drug discovery process includes target selection, target validation, hit-to-lead identification, lead optimization, and candidate validation. Various technologies contribute to drug discovery, such as high throughput screening, spectroscopy, combinatorial chemistry, biochips, pharmacogenomics, pharmacogenetics, bioinformatics, metabolomics, nanotechnology, and others. Drug discovery finds applications in therapeutic areas such as oncology, neurology, infectious and immune system diseases, digestive system diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory diseases, and more. Pharmaceutical companies, Contract Research Organizations (CROs), and other end-users engage in drug discovery.

The drug discovery market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides drug discovery market statistics, including drug discovery industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a drug discovery market share, detailed drug discovery market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the drug discovery industry. This drug discovery market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.

The drug discovery market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $110.26 billion in 2024 to $125.23 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.6%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to advancements in genomics and proteomics, expanding prevalence of chronic diseases, emergence of biopharmaceuticals.

The drug discovery market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $221.71 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.3%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to precision medicine adoption, focus on rare diseases, expansion of personalized therapies. Major trends in the forecast period include collaborative drug discovery models, focus on rare diseases and orphan drugs, integration of multi-omics data, rapid adoption of organoids and 3D cell culture models, advancements in virtual screening.

The increase in healthcare spending is expected to boost the drug discovery market in the coming years. Countries worldwide are allocating a significant portion of their GDP to healthcare expenses, which encompass hospital care, physician and clinical services, various professional services, dental services, other health services, residential and personal care, home health care, nursing care facilities, continuing care retirement communities, prescription drugs, and more. Drug discovery is a crucial component of health expenditures, as it is essential for treating diseases and extending life. The demand for new medications to address emerging diseases is growing. For example, in October 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a US-based federal agency, reported that national health expenditure increased by 4.1% to $4.5 trillion in 2022, or $13,493 per person. From 2023 to 2032, the average growth rate of national health expenditure (5.6%) is projected to exceed that of average GDP growth (4.3%), resulting in an increase in the health spending share of GDP from 17.3% in 2022 to 19.7% in 2032. Thus, the rise in healthcare spending is driving the growth of the drug discovery market.

The drug discovery market is poised for growth, driven by the increasing research and development (R&D) expenditure in the pharma-biotech sector. R&D expenditure in the pharma-biotech sector involves allocating funds for research and development activities, focusing on the discovery and development of new pharmaceutical products and technologies. This financial commitment to R&D activities is essential for advancing the understanding of disease mechanisms, conducting pre-clinical testing, and progressing through clinical trials, ultimately contributing to the development of new medicines and treatments. As an illustration, in 2022, the UK government announced a significant increase in spending on R&D, allocating an additional £5 (6.36) billion to reach £20 (25.43) billion per year by 2024/25. This funding injection is part of the government's strategy to achieve a target of total R&D spending, encompassing all sectors, reaching 2.4% of GDP by 2027. The substantial growth in R&D expenditure in the pharma-biotech sector underscores the industry's commitment to advancing drug discovery, thus propelling the overall growth of the drug discovery market.

Technological advancements play a crucial role in shaping the landscape of the drug discovery market. Companies within this domain are actively incorporating various cutting-edge technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), imaging technology, and others, to streamline and expedite the drug discovery process. This proactive integration of technology aims to reduce the time required for drug discovery, fostering innovation and efficiency in the industry. Imaging technology is a notable aspect of these advancements, enabling the visualization, characterization, and quantification of non-invasive biological activities occurring within organisms in response to medications. These methods, utilizing either probes or the tissue itself, are instrumental in comprehending diseases and identifying novel treatments. As an illustrative example, in May 2023, Google Cloud introduced two AI-powered tools in the drug discovery realm: the Target and Lead Identification Suite and the Multiomics Suite. These tools are designed to empower biotech and pharmaceutical companies by expediting drug discovery and precision medicine efforts. The Target and Lead Identification Suite aids in deciphering the function of amino acids and proteins, while the Multiomics Suite accelerates the discovery and interpretation of genomic data, facilitating the design of precision treatments. This commitment to leveraging advanced technologies exemplifies the industry's dedication to enhancing the drug discovery process through innovative tools and approaches.

Major players in the drug discovery market are actively engaged in creating innovative solutions, such as drug discovery accelerators, to advance the development of sophisticated drug models. Drug discovery accelerators represent various entities, initiatives, or programs meticulously crafted to expedite the intricate process of discovering and developing novel pharmaceutical compounds. An exemplary instance of this commitment to innovation is evident in the collaboration between Novo Nordisk and Evotec. In September 2023, they jointly introduced LAB eN2, a translational drug discovery accelerator. LAB eN2 is specifically crafted to support preclinical research originating from academic institutions, with the ultimate goal of propelling the development of groundbreaking therapeutics. The collaboration's primary focus is to hasten the translation of academic concepts into tangible therapeutic product candidates, particularly within the realms of cardiometabolic disorders, rare blood disorders, and endocrine disorders.

In July 2024, Iktos, a pharmaceutical and biotech company based in France, acquired Synsight for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition seeks to improve Iktos's current platform by incorporating Synsight's advanced technologies, especially its MT Bench system for high-performance screening of biological interactions. Synsight is also a biotechnology company located in France.

Major companies operating in the drug discovery market include Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Novartis International AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., WuXi AppTec Group, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Eli Lilly and Company, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings, Evotec SE, Eurofins Scientific SE, Agilent Technologies Inc., Sanofi S.A., Charles River Laboratories International Inc., Pharmaron Ltd., Viva Biotech Ltd., Albany Molecular Research Inc., Schrodinger Inc., BioDuro Ltd., Aptuit LLC, Selvita S.A., Sygnature Discovery Limited, Jubilant Biosys Limited, Gero Limited, Domainex Ltd., Verge Genomics lnc., Aqemia SAS, BenevolentAI Limited, EPIVAX INC., ProteinQure lnc., Synlogic Inc., ChemPartner Co. Ltd., WuXi Biologics lnc., Abzena plc, Lonza Group Ltd., Catalent lnc., Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc.

North America was the largest region in the drug discovery market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the drug discovery market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.

The countries covered in the drug discovery market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The drug discovery market includes revenues earned by entities by high throughput screening, spectroscopy, combinatorial chemistry, biochips, pharmacogenomics and pharmacogenetics, bioinformatics, metabolomics, and nanotechnology. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

Drug Discovery Global Market Report 2025 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.

This report focuses on drug discovery market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.

Reasons to Purchase

• Gain a truly global perspective with the most comprehensive report available on this market covering 15 geographies.
• Assess the impact of key macro factors such as conflict, pandemic and recovery, inflation and interest rate environment and the 2nd Trump presidency.
• Create regional and country strategies on the basis of local data and analysis.
• Identify growth segments for investment.
• Outperform competitors using forecast data and the drivers and trends shaping the market.
• Understand customers based on the latest market shares.
• Benchmark performance against key competitors.
• Suitable for supporting your internal and external presentations with reliable high quality data and analysis
• Report will be updated with the latest data and delivered to you within 2-3 working days of order along with an Excel data sheet for easy data extraction and analysis.
• All data from the report will also be delivered in an excel dashboard format.

Where is the largest and fastest growing market for drug discovery ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward? The drug discovery market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.

The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.

• The market characteristics section of the report defines and explains the market.
• The market size section gives the market size ($b) covering both the historic growth of the market, and forecasting its development.
• The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include:

The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the Russia-Ukraine war, rising inflation, higher interest rates, and the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Market segmentations break down the market into sub markets.
• The regional and country breakdowns section gives an analysis of the market in each geography and the size of the market by geography and compares their historic and forecast growth. It covers the growth trajectory of COVID-19 for all regions, key developed countries and major emerging markets.
• The competitive landscape chapter gives a description of the competitive nature of the market, market shares, and a description of the leading companies. Key financial deals which have shaped the market in recent years are identified.
• The trends and strategies section analyses the shape of the market as it emerges from the crisis and suggests how companies can grow as the market recovers.

Scope

• Markets Covered:1) By Drug Type: Small Molecule; Large Molecule
• 2) By Process: Target Selection; Target Validation; Hit-To-Lead Identification; Lead Optimization; Candidate Validation
• 3) By Technology: High Throughput Screening; Spectroscopy; Combinatorial Chemistry; Biochips; Pharmacogenomics And Pharmacogenetics; Bioinformatics; Metabolomics; Nanotechnology; Other Technologies
• 4) By Therapeutic Area: Oncology; Neurology; Infectious And Immune System Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Diabetes; Respiratory Disease; Other Therapeutic Areas
• 5) By End User: Pharmaceutical Companies; CROs; Other End-Users
• Subsegments:
• 1) By Small Molecule: Synthetic Small Molecules; Natural Small Molecules; Targeted Small Molecule Drugs
• 2) By Large Molecule: Monoclonal Antibodies; Proteins And Peptides; Nucleic Acid-Based Therapies
• Companies Mentioned: Pfizer Inc.; Merck & Co. Inc.; Novartis International AG; Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.; WuXi AppTec Group
• Countries: Australia; Brazil; China; France; Germany; India; Indonesia; Japan; Russia; South Korea; UK; USA; Canada; Italy; Spain
• Regions: Asia-Pacific; Western Europe; Eastern Europe; North America; South America; Middle East; Africa
• Time series: Five years historic and ten years forecast.
• Data: Ratios of market size and growth to related markets, GDP proportions, expenditure per capita,
• Data segmentations: country and regional historic and forecast data, market share of competitors, market segments.
• Sourcing and Referencing: Data and analysis throughout the report is sourced using end notes.
• Delivery format: PDF, Word and Excel Data Dashboard.