Drug Screening Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

Drug Screening Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2024 - 2029)

The Drug Screening Market size is estimated at USD 7.30 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 15.54 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 16.35% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the market is expected to be significant. According to a recent survey conducted by the Current Consulting Group (CCG) in August 2021, about 21% of employers have reported a decline of 61% or more in the number of drug tests undertaken on their employees during the pandemic. This is attributed to several factors, including a decrease in the number of people being tested because of an increase in the number of employees working from home and general concerns about workplace drug testing safety and COVID-19 safeguards. Also, as per the research article published in Population Health Management, 2021, a significant decrease in the testing for prescription and illicit drugs was observed, with a weekly test volume decrease of 70%. Thus, decreased drug screening had a significant impact on the market during the pandemic. However, the demand for drug screening during the post-pandemic period is expected to increase, thereby boosting the growth of the market over the forecast period.

The key factor driving the global drug screening market are increased drug and alcohol consumption, strict alcohol and drug testing legislation, government funding for pharmaceutical development, and regulatory approvals. According to the World Drug Report 2021 published by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2022, the number of people using drugs increased by 22%. As per the UNODC findings in 2021, around 200 million people smoked cannabis, which accounted for 4% of the global population. Furthermore, according to the same source, the number of cannabis users increased by around 18%. In addition, around 20 million people consumed cocaine, which accounted for 0.4% of the global population. Thus, the rising consumption of drugs among the population is expected to increase the demand for drug screening, in turn, fueling the overall market growth in the studied period.

Moreover, several initiatives by the key players are one of the factors propelling the growth of the studied market. For Instance, In August 2021, Quest diagnostics and select health of south California entered into an agreement to expand select health's laboratory network for its Medicaid and Medicare dual-eligible enrollees and to enhance diagnostics information services.

However, prohibitions on the consumption of alcohol and drugs in some countries, as well as restrictions prohibiting drug testing at work, particularly in developed economies may hinder the global drug screening market's growth.

Drug Screening Market Trends

Urine Sample Segment is Expected to Show Significant Growth Over the Forecast Period

Urine testing is one of the most common testing methods for drugs. Benefits associated with urine testing such as non-invasiveness and the ability to detect large numbers of drugs in the sample are expected to drive the segment growth over the forecast period. Urine testing can detect drugs used within 1 to 4 days, sometimes even longer.

Urine drug testing is an important part of monitoring patients with long-term opioid therapy, and it has been suggested for patients receiving long-term benzodiazepine or stimulant therapy too. Also, it is one of the crucial tests to check opioid dependency. Thus, the rising prevalence of opioid overdose is expected to drive market growth over the forecast period. For instance, according to the World Health Organization data published in 2021, opioids include compounds that are extracted from the poppy seed as well as synthetic and semi-synthetic compounds with similar properties that can interact with brain opioid receptors. According to the same source, about 275 million people (or 5.5% of the global population aged 15-64 years) used drugs at least once globally. Among them, approximately 62 million people used opioids.

Moreover, several launches by the key players are one of the factors propelling the growth of the segment. For instance, In September 2022, Sysmex Launches the UF-1500 Fully Automated Urine Particle Analyzer, a New Product for the Urine Sediment Testing Field.

Additionally, as per the National Insitute on Drug Research article in February 2021 Drug' testing by urinalysis has been suggested and in many cases implemented for prospective and current employees in the industry; for personnel of the armed forces, for parolees and bail seekers in civil and court systems, for workers in the transportation industry, and for individuals who are nationally known athletes. Thus, owing to the aforementioned factors, the studied segment is expected to witness healthy growth over the forecast period.

North America is Expected to Hold Significant Share in the Market Over The Forecast Period

North America is expected to hold significant share in the drug screening industry due to the serious problem related to high levels of alcohol intake. Also, the increasing consumption of illegal drugs, the availability of government funding to combat drug abuse, and the existence of strict rules in the country are encouraging drug screening. For instance, in April 2022, Quest Diagnostics performed drug testing and collected 11 million unidentifiable urine, hair, and oral fluid sample results between January and December 2021. According to Quest Diagnostics' annual drug index data published in March 2022, with 7.5 percent of employees testing were positive for marijuana between January and December 2021. According to the same report, based on over six million urine samples, marijuana had the highest positive rates in the United States workforce increasing by 8.3% in the same period. Hence, the rising consumption of drugs among people is expected to increase the demand for drug screening tests, in turn, benefitting the overall market growth.

Moreover, several company activities by the key players are one of the factors propelling the growth of the segment. For instance, in September 2021, LabCorp entered into a multi-year agreement with Infirmary health (united states) to offer laboratory testing services on the eastern gulf coast.

Furthermore, various initiatives are being implemented by the United States government to monitor the symptoms and to determine whether a person is under drug abuse. For instance, as per the NCBI article published in February 2021, the Patients and Communities Act of 2018 was a law implemented by the country to counter-acting drug abuse. Thus, the rising drug and alcohol abuse and strict regulations to detect intoxication in the body are expected to help the market growth in the region over the forecast period.

Drug Screening Industry Overview

The drug Screening Market is moderately fragmented in nature due to the presence of several companies operating globally as well as regionally. The key players operating in the global drug screening market are LabCorp (Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings), Quest Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Alfa Scientific Designs, Inc., OraSure Technologies, Inc., Siemens Healthineers, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Shimadzu Corporation, LifeLock Technologies, Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA, and Premier Biotech, Inc.

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