Centre for Drug Research and Development
Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) is a Vancouver-based, privately held drug development and commercialization organization founded in 2007, serving as Canada's national engine for advancing therapeutic candidates from research to market. It employs 101-250 staff and operates through commercial and scientific leadership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Centre for Drug Research and Development does
Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD), founded in 2007 and headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, is a privately held drug development and commercialization organization positioned as Canada's national engine for advancing therapeutic candidates. It operates with 101-250 employees and maintains a dual leadership structure comprising a President & CEO (Gordon McCauley) and a VP of Scientific Operations (Jason Crawford), indicating an organization that integrates commercial development with laboratory science.
CDRD's core activity is the development and commercialization of drug assets, operating as a translational platform that bridges early-stage Canadian research and market-ready pharmaceutical products. The organization's self-described mandate as a national engine implies it serves Canadian academic institutions, biotech startups, and government stakeholders by providing drug development infrastructure, expertise, and commercialization pathways. The 2019 acquisition of Neomed Institute materially expanded its development footprint, though detailed product lines and service offerings are not disclosed in the available source material, which is largely limited to a website verification page.
The business model is not explicitly described in the available data. CDRD is classified as a for-profit private entity, and its revenue mechanics are not disclosed — plausible revenue sources include milestone-based deals on out-licensed drug assets, contract research services, and government/institutional grants consistent with its national mandate. No pricing, customer, or revenue figures are available, which constrains financial diligence.
Centre for Drug Research and Development firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Centre for Drug Research and Development
- Website
- https://cdrd.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) is a Vancouver-based, privately held drug development and commercialization organization founded in 2007, serving as Canada's national engine for advancing therapeutic candidates from research to market. It employs 101-250 staff and operates through commercial and scientific leadership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Centre for Drug Research and Development industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pharmaceutical R&D and Drug Development Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK)
Keywords
Where Centre for Drug Research and Development is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Centre for Drug Research and Development business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Centre for Drug Research and Development product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CDRD is Canada's national drug development and commercialization engine. It provides drug development infrastructure, scientific expertise, and commercialization support to translate academic and early-stage research into market-ready therapeutics. The organization also acquires and integrates complementary drug research assets, such as the Neomed Institute.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Drug Development and Commercialization Services
- Neomed Institute Integration
Companies that use Centre for Drug Research and Development
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles2 records
Centre for Drug Research and Development technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Centre for Drug Research and Development partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Centre for Drug Research and Development competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BioVectra: Canadian CDMO offering microbial fermentation, small-molecule API, and biologics capabilities. Comparable as a Canadian-headquartered integrated drug substance/drug product development partner.
- adMare Bioinnovations: Canadian national life sciences venture with a mandate to build biotech companies and advance academic discoveries. Highly comparable to CDRD as a fellow Canadian translational development engine.
Broad incumbents
- Catalent: Large CDMO providing drug substance and drug product development/manufacturing including clinical supply. Comparable to CDRD across the integrated drug substance–drug product stack.
- Lonza Group: Global CDMO leader providing APIs, biologics, and cell & gene therapy services. Comparable to CDRD as an integrated drug substance–drug product CDMO across multiple modalities.
- WuXi AppTec: Global integrated CRO/CDMO offering drug discovery, development, and manufacturing services. Comparable to CDRD as an end-to-end development platform, though operating at global scale and commercial breadth.
Emerging players
- PSI CRO: Mid-sized CRO/CDMO offering drug development and clinical trial services. Overlaps with CDRD in translational drug development and clinical enablement support.
- Domainex: Integrated drug discovery and development CRO offering medicinal chemistry, biology, and ADME/DMPK. Comparable to CDRD in early-stage small-molecule development services.
Regional players
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) / OICR Translate: Ontario-based translational research organization advancing cancer therapeutics toward commercialization. Comparable to CDRD in mandate and translational drug development focus, but Ontario-focused.
Others
- MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub supporting life sciences venture creation and commercialization. Adjacent to CDRD as part of the Canadian translational ecosystem, with overlapping mandate dimensions.
- NEOMED (now part of CDRD) / adMare-acquired entities: Pre-acquisition NEOMED operated a Montreal drug discovery and development platform; its absorption into CDRD creates direct precedent for further portfolio integration across Canadian hubs.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Centre for Drug Research and Development social profiles
Digital presenceCentre for Drug Research and Development financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Centre for Drug Research and Development leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Centre for Drug Research and Development funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Centre for Drug Research and Development M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments4 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Centre for Drug Research and Development
What does Centre for Drug Research and Development do?
CDRD is Canada's national drug development and commercialization engine. It provides drug development infrastructure, scientific expertise, and commercialization support to translate academic and early-stage research into market-ready therapeutics. The organization also acquires and integrates complementary drug research assets, such as the Neomed Institute.
When was Centre for Drug Research and Development founded?
Centre for Drug Research and Development was founded in 2007. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Centre for Drug Research and Development based?
Centre for Drug Research and Development is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
Who are Centre for Drug Research and Development's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BioVectra and adMare Bioinnovations. Broad incumbents are Catalent, Lonza Group and WuXi AppTec. Emerging players are PSI CRO and Domainex. Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) / OICR Translate is listed as a regional player. Others are MaRS Discovery District and NEOMED (now part of CDRD) / adMare-acquired entities.
Does Centre for Drug Research and Development have an API?
No public API is recorded for Centre for Drug Research and Development.
What industry is Centre for Drug Research and Development in?
Centre for Drug Research and Development's product category is Pharmaceutical R&D and Drug Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGABAG, Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO, with a secondary code of HLAGABAK, Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO. Its NAICS code is 54171 and its SIC code is 2834.