Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Size to Surpass USD 13.43 Billion by 2034

According to Nova One Advisor, the global small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market size is expected to be worth around 13.43 billion by 2034, increasing from USD 5.67 billion in 2025, representing a healthy CAGR of 10.06% from 2025 to 2034.

The small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market is expanding due to it offers access to particular expertise, cost efficiency, and faster time. Outsourcing improves the quality of drug development by leveraging particular expertise and advanced technologies. It's vital to select reputable partners and preserve robust quality control measures during the process.

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Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Highlights:

• North America dominated the global small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market in 2024.

• Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period.

• By workflow, the lead identification & candidate optimization segment dominated the market with the largest share in 2024.

• By workflow, the preclinical development segment is expected to grow significantly over the forecast period.

• By service, the chemistry services segment accounted for the highest market share in 2024.

• By service, the biology services segment is expected to show significant growth during the predicted timeframe.

• By therapeutic area, the respiratory system segment held the largest market share in 2024.

• By therapeutic area, the oncology segment is expected to show significant growth over the forecast period.

• By end-use, the pharmaceutical & biotechnology segment generated the highest market revenue in 2024.

• By end-use, the academic institutes segment is expected to register significant growth during the forecast period.

Market Overview and Industry Potential

The small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market is expanding due to it plays a significant role in the discovery of drugs in the early phase. This allows pharmaceutical companies to reach external knowledge and resources, which support them in speeding up research. Outsourcing organizations allow companies to meet the activity level based on the requirements of every project. It is particularly useful in the early stages of the discovery of the drug, where the outcomes are undefined and the projects often change direction.

Outsourcing continues to open a major of opportunities in the novel discovery of drug in the early phase, particularly it is more acceptable in pharmaceutical and biotechnological regions. This enables companies to detect novel drug goals and healthcare fields instead of advanced facilities or long-term employees. Outsourcing by merging internal potential along with external support offers a strategic and practical approach. When supported by the correct technologies and clear plans, it supports collaborative model organizations to strengthen research efforts and enhance the chances of offering efficient novel treatment to patients.

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Latest Trends of the Market

In January 2025, Qualified Health announced its launch with $30 million in seed funding to develop the infrastructure for generative AI in healthcare. The major investors are SignalFire, Healthier Capital, Town Hall Ventures, and Frist Cressey Ventures, along with participation from Intermountain Ventures, Flare Capital Partners, and prominent healthcare and technology sector angels.

In April 2025, Flagship Pioneering, the bioplatform innovation company, unveiled Etiome, a company redefining how to detect and preempt disease progression. Etiome's Temporal Biodynamics platform is the first end-to-end technology to characterize disease with increased resolution over time and accelerate the development of preemptive medicines that promise advanced health results for people at risk of chronic or progressive diseases.

Recent Advancements in Technology: Market’s Largest Potential

Recent technological advancements in outsourcing services, such as the application of AI in the medical care industry, require healthcare institutions to adapt. These supports achieving more groundbreaking ways of streamlining processes and adapting advanced talents effectively.  Outsourcing has become a strategic option for pharmaceutical companies looking to optimize their R&D processes and speed up time-to-market for novel drugs.

Pharmaceutical companies are increasing strategic partnerships with CROs to advance access to technologies for hastening drug development. Partnering with a CRO offers access to precision micro-dosing of small molecules that allows sponsors to move efficiently toward medical proof-of-concept, which drives the growth of the market.

For Instance, In April 2025, The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai launched the AI Small Molecule Drug Discovery Center, a bold endeavor that harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize drug development. The new Center will integrate AI with traditional drug discovery methods to identify and design new small-molecule therapeutics with unprecedented speed and precision.

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Report Scope of Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market

Report Coverage

Details

Market Size in 2025

USD 13.43 Billion

Market Size by 2034

USD 13.43 Billion

Growth Rate From 2025 to 2034

CAGR of 10.06%

Base Year

2024

Forecast Period

2025-2034

Segments Covered

Workflow, Service, Therapeutics Area, End use, Region

Market Analysis (Terms Used)

Value (US$ Million/Billion) or (Volume/Units)

Regional scope

North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; MEA

Key Companies Profiled

Albany Molecular Research (Curia), Charles River Laboratories, Dalton Pharma Services, Domainex, Dr. Reddy Laboratories Ltd., Eurofins, Evotec, GenScript Biotech,Jubilant Biosys, Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (Covance), Merck & Co., Inc., Oncodesign, Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC, Pharmaron, QIAGEN, Syngene International, TCG Lifesciences Pvt Ltd., WuXi AppTec

Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Segmentation Analysis:

By Lead Identification & Candidate Optimization Analysis:

The instruments segment dominates in the small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market, as it helps enhance the quality and quantity of leads, also offering greater access to professional knowledge and skills. It cuts expenses and saves money over a period. It increases efficiency, improves leads, provides access to commercial acumen, and an ultimate uptick in sales. Outsourcing increases the recruitment process by leveraging the provider's resources and expertise to rationalize workflows.

On the other hand, the preclinical development segment is expected to grow significantly during the forecast period, as outsourcing pre-clinical CRO services can lead to significant cost savings. Establishing and maintaining in-house facilities and resources for preclinical development requires substantial financial investment. Outsourcing preclinical studies can reduce development timelines by up to 30% while ensuring compliance with GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) standards.

By Service Analysis:

The chemistry services segment dominated the market in 2024, as it improves efficiency, lowers costs, improves compliance and safety, and provides greater expansion and sustainability opportunities. It easily handles the storage, transportation, and delivery of chemical products on behalf of the manufacturer.

On the other hand, the biology services segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the market during the forecast period, as it becomes a progressively popular approach in biotech and pharmaceutical organizations.  Outsourcing offers access to specialized expertise that may not be available in-house. Major contract research organizations (CROs) employ scientists with wide experience in biological services. As the biotech industry continues to evolve, outsourcing is likely to play an increasingly significant role in advancing scientific discoveries.

By Therapeutic Area Analysis:

The respiratory system segment dominated the market in 2024, as these molecules offer advantages like huge oral bioavailability, the capability to engage intracellular pathways, and adaptable dosing regimens, making it applicable to a wide spectrum of respiratory diseases

On the other hand, the oncology segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the market during the forecast period, as their less molecular weight, so they penetrate cell membranes and enter cells, permitting highly personalized interactions that directly disrupt intracellular processes in tumors. It offers targeted therapies to cancer patients and has proven highly efficiently.

By end-use Analysis:

The pharmaceutical & biotechnology segment dominated the market in 2024, as it provides productivity benefits such as access to novel technology, virtualized expenses, and risk sharing. As pharmaceutical companies face growing cost pressures and as the difficulty of drug candidates increases, they are turning to outsourcing partners. It lowers the requirement for cost investments and growing access to specialized technical expertise.

A pie chart of drug discovery outsourcing

AI-generated content may be incorrect.

On the other hand, the academic institutes segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the market during the forecast period, as outsourcing allows institutes to respond rapidly to fluctuating requirements. Virtual assistants provide flexibility in managing tasks and scale their support based on demand. This is particularly important for institutions handling seasonal tasks, like enrollment periods or exam preparation phases.  Institutions outsource time-consuming administrative work to virtual assistants and free up their core team to emphasize strategic priorities.

By Regional Insights

Which Region Dominated the Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market?

North America dominated the small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market in 2024, due to the presence largest number of biotech companies worldwide, found in North America, which invests more than $75 billion per year. Those investments are set to rise due to further developments in the biotech sector, and shift from international-based to home-grown services and manufacturing sites. Presence of major biopharma companies such as Merck, AbbVie, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Johnson & Johnson, which are major clients for outsourcing services.

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United States to continue growing its innovation economy, it should enact stronger policies that support business R&D and federal R&D.  For instance, in 2024 U.S. will spend $193.39 billion in R&D, which will increase continuous demand for CRO and CDMO partnerships, contributing to the growth of the market.

Why Asia Pacific is the Fastest Growing in the Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market?

In Asia Pacific, major companies of this region are increasingly opting for nearshoring, outsourcing to neighboring countries, to decrease time zone differences, enhance communication, and take advantage of cultural resemblances. This region is a fascinating world-renowned organization that supports them in saving costs while delivering advanced-quality products. Asia Pacific governments invested largely in infrastructure to help the growing outsourcing, which contributes to the growth of the market.

Small Molecule Drug Discovery Outsourcing Market Companies:

• Albany Molecular Research (Curia)

Charles River Laboratories

Dalton Pharma Services

Domainex

Dr. Reddy Laboratories Ltd.

• Eurofins

Evotec

• GenScript Biotech

• Jubilant Biosys

• Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (Covance)

• Merck & Co., Inc.

• Oncodesign

Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC

Pharmaron

• QIAGEN

• Syngene International

• TCG Lifesciences Pvt Ltd.

WuXi AppTec

What is Going Around the Globe?

In July 2024, Innovent Biologics, Inc., a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic, autoimmune, ophthalmology, and other major diseases, announced a strategic partnership with WeComput to jointly advance the construction and improvement of Innovent Biologics' Artificial Intelligence for Drug Discovery platform.

In May 2025, Peptone announced a partnership with Evotec to accelerate and scale the creation of small-molecule IDP-targeted treatments across diverse therapeutic areas. Through the collaboration, Peptone will harness Evotec's drug discovery toolbox encompassing deep domain expertise in oncology and immunology, extensive assay development know-how, and state-of-the-art screening capabilities to seamlessly integrate with its pioneering, physics-based approach to understanding IDP structural dynamics.

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Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2021 to 2034. For this study, Nova one advisor, Inc. has segmented the small molecule drug discovery outsourcing market.

By Workflow

• Lead Identification & Candidate Optimization

• Target Identification & Screening

• Target Validation & Functional Informatics

• Preclinical Development

•Others

By Service

• Biology Services

• Chemistry Services

By Therapeutic Area

• Anti-infective

• Cardiovascular

• Central Nervous System

• Dermatology

• Endocrine

• Gastrointestinal

• Genitourinary System

• Hematology

• Immunomodulation

• Oncology

• Ophthalmology

• Pain and Anesthesia

• Respiratory system

By End Use

• Academic Institutes

• Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology companies

By Regional

• North America

• Europe

• Asia Pacific

• Latin America

• Middle East and Africa (MEA)

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