Drug Screening Market

The size of global drug screening market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $9.1 billion in 2024 and is poised to reach $19.5 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 16.6% from 2024 to 2029. The new research study consists of an industry trend analysis of the market. The new research study consists of industry trends, pricing analysis, patent analysis, conference and webinar materials, key stakeholders, and buying behaviour in the market.

Some of the key factors such as the enforcement of stringent laws mandating drug & alcohol testing, the rising drug & alcohol consumption are driving the market. However, bans on alcohol consumption in Islamic countries may restrain the growth of this market to a certain extent.

Global Drug Screening Market Trend

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Global Drug Screening Market Dynamics

DRIVER: Growing drug and alcohol consumption

Drug abuse and alcohol consumption are growing worldwide. According to the World Drug Report 2023, in 2021, 1 in every 17 people aged 15–64 in the world had used a drug in the past 12 months. The number of users grew from 240 million in 2011 to 296 million in 2021 or 5.8% of the global population aged 15-64. This is a 23% increase, partly due to population growth. Other drugs like Cannabis the second most used drug, with an estimated 219 million users i.e. 4.3% of the global adult population in 2021. In 2021, according to the US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, i.e. a 14% rise from last year. The expanding consumption of illicit drugs & alcohol will advance raise the development of drug screening products & services on the road, thereby driving the overall market growth.

RESTRAINT: Ban on alcohol consumption in several Islamic countries

Alcohol consumption is banned in Islamic countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Libya, Iran, the UAE (Emirate of Sharjah), Kuwait, and Yemen. Alcohol consumption in these regions is a punishable offense, and offenders face harsh punishments. For instance, in Afghanistan, it is illegal to purchase alcohol. Similarly, very strict laws have been implemented in Iran against alcohol consumption. As per Article 265 of the new Islamic Penal Code implemented in 2013, drinking alcohol is punishable by 80 lashes, irrespective of the gender of the offender. Also, in some cases, the offender may be sentenced to death. Owing to religious reasons, strict punishments, and stringent regulations, alcohol consumption in many Islamic countries is very low. This is a major restraint for the growth of the drug & alcohol testing market, especially the breathalyzers market, in these countries.

OPPORTUNITY: Oral Fluid Testing

Oral fluid is a promising new matrix for drug abuse testing programs at the workplace, drug treatment facilities, and pain management facilities. It has significant applications in drug abuse testing for law enforcement. The Department of Transport (DOT) is one of the major end users of drug testing services in the US. Owing to the various advantages of oral fluid testing, the DOT considers including this technique for drug and alcohol testing.

The major advantages of oral fluid testing are ease of collection, gender-neutral nature, fewer chances of sample adulteration/tampering, and no requirement for special collection facilities. However, for the rapid adoption of oral fluid testing, limitations such as inconsistent oral fluid and elution buffer volume, variable drug recoveries, and inadequate oral fluid immunoassay sensitivity and specificity need to be overcome. If this test is widely adopted, it is expected to replace urine, hair, and blood-based drug tests. This is a significant opportunity for the market players to capitalize on in the market.

Challenge: Accuracy and specificity concerns related to breathalyzers

In certain cases, breathalyzers have offered incorrect results due to errors in distinguishing alcohol from other chemical compounds containing a methyl group structure. Few alcohol testing machines identify ethyl alcohol (found in alcoholic drinks) and any compound with a similar molecular structure. The human breath comprise over 100 compounds, and nearly 70 to 80% contain the methyl group structure; hence, there is a prospect of these chemicals being incorrectly detected as ethyl alcohol. For instance, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has found that diabetes is characterized by elevated breath acetone levels—one of the many substances that can be falsely identified as ethyl alcohol by some breath machines.

Moreover, lip gloss, mouthwashes, dentures, paints, glue, thinners, cleaning solvents, foams used for hand hygiene, cigarettes, and even inhalers used for asthma can modify breathalyzer test results. Routine maintenance and recalibration of a breathalyzer by police officials are also vital. Failure to maintain, recalibrate, and test breathalyzers can result in other errors. Therefore, the error associated with some breath analyzers is held as a challenge to market growth.

Drug Screening Industry Ecosystem

By end user, drug testing laboratories was the largest market for drug screening industry in 2023.

On the basis of end user, the drug screening is divided into workplaces, criminal justice systems & law enforcement, drug treatment centers, pain management centers, schools & colleges, hospitals, individual users, drug testing laboratories, and other end users. In 2023, the drug testing laboratories testing segment accounted for the largest market due to increasing drug abuse cases & rising screening tests.

By sample type, urine sample is expected to dominate the drug screening industry in 2024.

Based on sample type, he drug screening market is segmented into urine, breath, oral fluid (saliva), hair, and other samples. Urine samples accounted for the largest share the market. However, the oral fluid samples segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The high growth rate of this segment is largely due to the growing preference for oral fluid samples and their benefits, such as easy collection, no specific requirement for sample collection, and lower risk of sample adulteration.

By region, North America was the largest regional market for drug screening industry in 2023.

Based on region, the drug screening market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East & Africa. North America was the largest regional segment of the overall market with a share followed by Europe in 2023. The largest share of this is attributed due to the mounting consumption of illicit drugs, the accessibility of government funding to control drug abuse, and the presence of key players in this region.

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Prominent players offering drug screening products and services include Labcorp (US), Quest Diagnostics (US), Abbottv (US), Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US), Alfa Scientific Designs, Inc. (US), OraSure Technologies Inc. (US), Siemens Healthineers AG (Germany), F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd (Switzerland), MPD Inc. (US), Shimadzu Corporation (Japan), Lifeloc Technologies, Inc. (US), Drägerwerk AG & Co. KGaA (Germany), Premier Biotech, Inc. (US), Omega Laboratories, Inc. (US), Psychemedics Corporation (US), Clinical Reference Laboratory, Inc. (US), American Bio Medica Corporation (US), ACM Global Laboratories (US), CareHealth America Corp (US), Sciteck, Inc. (US), Intoximeters, Inc. (US), AccuSourceHR, Inc. (US), Cordant Health Solutions (US), Intoxalock (US), Millennium Health (US).

Scope of the Drug Screening Industry:

The study categorizes the drug screening market to forecast revenue and analyze trends in each of the following submarkets:

By Product and Service

• Drug Screening Product
  • Analytical Instruments
    • Type
      • Breathalyzers
        • Fuel Cell Breathalyzer
        • Semiconductor Breathalyzer
        • Other Breathalyzers
      • Immunoassay Analyzer
      • Chromatography Instruments
    • Modality
      • Handheld
      • Benchtop
  • Rapid Testing Devices
    • Urine Testing Devices
      • Drug Testing Cups
      • Dip Cards
        • Drug Testing Cassettes
    • Oral Fluid Testing Devices
• Consumables
  • Assay Kits
  • Sample Collection Devices
  • Calibrators & Controls
  • Other Consumables
• Drug Screening Services
• Laboratory Testing Services
• On-site services

By Sample Type

• Urine Samples
• Breath Samples
• Oral Fluid Samples
• Hair Samples
• Other Samples

By Drug Type

• Alcohol
• Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Opioids
• Amphetamine and Meth Amphetamine
• Other Drug Type

By End User

• Drug Testing Laboratories
• Workplaces
• Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Agencies
• Hospitals
• Drug Treatment Centers
• Individual Users
• Pain Management Centers
• Schools and Colleges
• Other end users

By Region

• North America
  • US
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • France
  • UK
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Rest of Latin America
• Middle East & Africa
  • GCC countries
  • Rest of middle East & Africa

Recent Developments of Drug Screening Industry:

• In February 2024, Veriteque (US) entered into an agreement with OraSure Technologies (US), to become a formal distributor of Veriteque’s SwabTek test kit products. Under the distribution agreement, OraSure will offer Veriteque’s SwabTek brand of presumptive field test kits as a complementary offering alongside their proprietary oral fluid screening products.
• In December 2023, Quest Diagnostics (US) launched its new confirmatory testing service for novel psychoactive substances (NPS). The new paneltests for 88 compounds, covers a broad typeof drug classes, such as designer benzodiazepines ,designer opioids, designer stimulants, fentanyl analogs, synthetic cannabinoids, and other illicit drug additives.
• In August 2022, Labcorp (US) acquired RWJBarnabas Health outreach laboratory business (US). This relationship will offer patients and providers enhanced access to high-quality laboratory services and enhance the laboratory service offerings.
• In August 2021, Quest Diagnostics (US) and Select Health of South Carolina (US) entered into an agreement to expand Select Health’s laboratory network for its Medicaid and Medicare-Medicaid dual-eligible enrolees and to enhance access to diagnostics information services for members.

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