IQVIA Signs Agreement to Acquire Drug Discovery Assets from Charles River Laboratories, Expanding End-to-End Drug Discovery Capabilities

Key Terms

in vitro medical

In vitro describes laboratory tests performed on cells, tissues, or biological molecules outside a living body—literally “in glass,” such as in test tubes or dishes. For investors, in vitro results are an early sign that a drug or technology has a desired effect under controlled conditions, but they don’t guarantee it will work or be safe in animals or people; think of them as a prototype tested on a bench rather than in real-world use.

new approach methodologies (nams) medical

New approach methodologies (NAMs) are modern testing tools and strategies—such as computer models, advanced cell-based assays, and lab-grown tissues—that replace or supplement traditional animal tests to evaluate safety, toxicity, and biological activity of drugs, chemicals and products. For investors, NAMs can shorten development timelines, lower testing costs, and reduce regulatory uncertainty, much like switching from slow manual inspection to faster automated quality checks in a factory.

small molecule ai platform technical

A small molecule AI platform is a software system that uses artificial intelligence to design and prioritize potential drug-like chemical compounds that are small, simple molecules rather than large biological proteins. It matters to investors because the platform can speed up discovery, cut research costs and increase the chance of finding a viable drug by quickly sifting through millions of possibilities—like a smart search engine that narrows a vast library to the most promising candidates.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- IQVIA Holdings Inc. (“IQVIA”) (NYSE: IQV), a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions and clinical research services to the life sciences industry, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire certain discovery services assets from Charles River Laboratories.

These assets include five sites specializing in a range of in vitro drug discovery services, including established laboratory based New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) and a small molecule AI platform, designed to accelerate discovery programs and support growing demand for non animal research methods. Collectively, these assets are underpinned by more than 20 years of curated scientific and operational data, as well as extensive therapeutic expertise. Since their inception, these assets have enabled over 100 molecules to enter clinical trials and include several commercially approved drugs.

The acquisition complements IQVIA Laboratories’ existing drug discovery capabilities to create a fully integrated, end-to-end drug discovery platform spanning target identification, hit-to-lead, lead optimization and early safety assessment. These expanded capabilities will broaden IQVIA’s ability to serve a wider range of drug modalities and therapeutic areas in early discovery research, including Oncology, Neurology, Immunology, Metabolism and Rare Diseases. Pharmaceutical and Biotech sponsors will benefit from the integration of IQVIA’s combined scientific, regulatory and clinical expertise from early-stage discovery research through to clinical development.

“This acquisition will meaningfully strengthen our ability to support clients earlier in the R&D lifecycle and complements our existing translational and clinical development capabilities,” said David Morris, president of IQVIA Laboratories. “Integrating these assets with our existing capabilities creates an industry-leading drug discovery platform with a track record of advancing discovery programs into clinical development.”

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter.

About IQVIA

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) is a leading global provider of clinical research services, commercial insights and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries. IQVIA’s portfolio of solutions are powered by IQVIA Connected Intelligence™ to deliver actionable insights and services built on high quality health data, Healthcare grade AI®, advanced analytics, the latest technologies, and extensive domain expertise. IQVIA is committed to using AI responsibly, with AI powered capabilities built on best-in-class approaches to privacy, regulatory compliance and patient safety, and delivering AI to the high standards of trust, scalability and precision demanded by the industry. With approximately 93,000 employees in over 100 countries, including experts in healthcare, life sciences, data science, technology, and operational excellence, IQVIA is dedicated to accelerating the development and commercialization of innovative medical treatments to help improve patient outcomes and population health worldwide.

IQVIA is a global leader in protecting individual patient privacy. The company uses a wide variety of privacy enhancing technologies and safeguards to protect individual privacy while generating and analyzing information on a scale that helps healthcare stakeholders identify disease patterns and correlate with the precise treatment path and therapy needed for better outcomes. IQVIA’s insights and execution capabilities help biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, government agencies, payers, and other healthcare stakeholders tap into a deeper understanding of diseases, human behaviors, and scientific advances in an effort to advance their path toward cures. To learn more, visit www.iqvia.com.

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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260225724183/en/

Kerri Joseph, IQVIA Investor Relations

kerri.joseph@iqvia.com

+1.973.541.3558

Alissa Maupin, IQVIA Media Relations

alissa.maupin1@iqvia.com

+1.919.923.6785

Source: IQVIA