What Psychemedics Corporation does

Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ: PMD), founded in 1986 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas following a January 2024 relocation from Acton, Massachusetts, is the world's longest-established commercial provider of hair-based drug testing services. The company operates a single laboratory analytics platform built around a patented extraction methodology that the company claims recovers virtually 100% of drug content from hair samples, enabling detection of drug types and consumption quantities over a 90-day window—materially longer than the days-long window provided by urine-based testing. The scientific foundation is supported by nine industry patents (the most in the hair testing category), FDA 510(k) clearance for every offered drug screen, and a body of peer-reviewed publications that the company cites as larger than that of any other source in the field.

The product portfolio centers on a 5-panel test (Amphetamines, Cocaine, Marijuana, Opiates, PCP) and an expanding suite of specialty tests covering Fentanyl, Benzodiazepines, Synthetic Cannabinoids, Adderall/Amphetamines, Ketamine, and Hair Alcohol (EtG), plus the PDT-90 at-home collection kit targeting concerned parents. Revenue is generated primarily through per-test transaction fees billed to enterprise clients, with quote-based pricing negotiated by volume and program scope. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting Fortune 500 employers, transportation and trucking carriers, oil & gas/petrochemical operators (4,000+ named clients), manufacturing firms, law enforcement agencies, educational institutions, and service/hospitality/gaming companies. Distribution relies on a global network of company-owned or contracted collection centers, a customer-facing online scheduling and results portal, electronic Chain-of-Custody workflows, and same-day account setup with multi-language support.

Psychemedics operates as a small public company with 251-500 employees, no parent, no subsidiaries, and no venture funding. The customer base spans over 10% of the Fortune 500, thousands of corporations worldwide, multiple Federal Reserve Banks, and major U.S. police departments, with logistics and energy verticals as primary segments. In 2024, the company executed a Dallas headquarters relocation, launched ketamine hair testing, published its first Education Insights Report, and initiated a process toward deregistration of its common stock followed by a 1-for-5,000 reverse and forward stock split—signals collectively suggesting a possible going-private transaction. The business model is operationally mature but top-line and bottom-line signals in the provided data are limited, with no first-party revenue figures disclosed.

Name

Psychemedics Corporation

Legal name

Psychemedics Corporation

Website

https://psychemedics.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Psychemedics Corporation (NASDAQ: PMD) is a U.S.-based laboratory services company founded in 1986 that provides patented hair-based drug testing with 90-day detection to Fortune 500 employers, transportation carriers, oil & gas firms, schools, and law enforcement agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drug Testing Laboratory Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Drug-of-Abuse & Toxicology Rapid Tests (Urine/saliva panels) (HLAHAOAG)

Keywords

• Hair drug testing
• Workplace drug screening
• Pre-employment testing
• Forensic toxicology services
• Substance abuse detection

Headquarters

HQ city

Acton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hair Drug Testing Services: Laboratory testing services analyzing hair samples for drug detection, providing results to employers, schools, law enforcement, and other organizations. Services include 5-panel tests, extended panel tests (fentanyl, benzodiazepines, synthetic cannabinoids, ketamine), and alcohol testing (EtG). Revenue generated per test conducted on clients' employees, applicants, or subjects.
2. Personal/Home Drug Testing (PDT-90): Direct-to-consumer/home testing kit for parents to test children for drug use. One-time purchase model for the at-home collection kit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Psychemedics performs laboratory hair drug testing analysis on behalf of employers, schools, law enforcement agencies, and government organizations, using a patented extraction process that recovers virtually 100% of drugs from hair and provides a 90-day detection window for both the type and quantity of drugs consumed. Its core menu is the 5-panel screen (Amphetamines, Cocaine, Marijuana, Opiates, PCP), expanded with specialized assays for Fentanyl, Adderall, Benzodiazepines, Synthetic Cannabinoids, Ketamine, and EtG alcohol, and complemented by the PDT-90 at-home collection kit for parents.

Product overview

Psychemedics Corporation is the world's leading hair drug testing provider, offering a comprehensive portfolio of hair analysis testing services. The core offering is the 5-Panel Drug Test detecting Amphetamines, Cocaine, Marijuana, Opiates, and PCP with up to 90-day detection windows. The company has expanded its specialized test offerings to include Fentanyl, Adderall, Benzodiazepines, Synthetic Cannabinoids, and Ketamine testing. For consumer use, the PDT 90 provides at-home hair drug testing. All tests utilize the company's patented extraction technology that reportedly extracts virtually 100% of drugs from hair. The company pioneered commercial hair drug testing in 1986 and holds nine industry patents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 5-Panel Drug Test

Quantifiable outcome

• Detects 6-10X more drug users than urine testing; 2-3X more than other hair tests
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of Central ArkansascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2022Research partnership conducting comparative analysis of hair vs. urine drug testing. University analyzed dataset of 936,872 pre-employment urine and hair drug screens, finding hair testing identifies 25X more opioid users, 23X more cocaine users, and 13X more amphetamine users than urine testing. Study published December 2022.
• Trucking AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association whose mission is to advance safety reforms to achieve zero large truck crash fatalities. KLLM is a member; alliance promotes hair testing as superior to DOT urine testing for trucking safety.
• KLLM Transport ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrucking company operating 3,000 trucks that implemented Psychemedics as pre-employment protocol alongside DOT testing. Created own clinic in Jackson, Mississippi. Publicly advocates for hair testing adoption in trucking industry.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Omega Laboratories: Specialized hair drug testing laboratory serving employers, legal, and family-law clients with similar 90-day detection windows. Closest direct competitor in pure-play hair drug testing.
• USDTL (United States Drug Testing Laboratories): Specialized toxicology lab offering hair, urine, and oral fluid drug testing for workplace, legal, and family services. Competes directly with Psychemedics in hair testing for child custody and family court use cases.
• Clinical Reference Laboratory (CRL): National esoteric clinical reference lab providing employer drug testing, including specialty toxicology panels. Comparable as a focused workplace testing services provider with overlapping customer base in transportation and manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• Quest Diagnostics: One of the largest U.S. clinical reference laboratories, offering employer drug testing as part of a broad occupational health and diagnostic services portfolio. Comparable as a workplace drug testing provider but with vastly greater scale and bundled offerings.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global testing laboratory group operating clinical diagnostics and pharma testing services including toxicology. Comparable as a large-scale commercial testing services provider with international reach.
• Laboratory Corporation of America (Labcorp): National clinical reference lab offering workplace drug testing, toxicology, and occupational health services as part of a comprehensive diagnostic platform. Direct competitor in employer drug testing with broader test menu and scale.
• Abbott Toxicology / Abbott Laboratories: Large diversified diagnostics and medical device company offering immunoassay toxicology analyzers and reagents used by workplace testing labs. Adjacent supplier and competitor via broad toxicology platforms.

Emerging players

• DrugScan: Specialized toxicology and drug-of-abuse testing laboratory focused on clinical and occupational use cases. Emerging specialty lab with overlapping methodology and customer segments.

Others

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Major analytical instruments and life sciences tools provider supplying mass spectrometers and reagents used in forensic and clinical toxicology labs. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor.

Regional players

• Sonora Quest Laboratories: Regional joint-venture clinical lab serving the Southwestern U.S. with employer drug testing and toxicology services. Comparable offerings but primarily regional rather than national.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hairdrugtest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/psychemedics-corporation
• Facebookfacebook.com/293220604

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Psychemedics Corporation