Fortrea Development Limited (United Kingdom)

Fortrea Development Limited (United Kingdom) is the UK-registered operating company of Fortrea, a global contract research organization (CRO) headquartered in the United States with a significant UK presence in Leeds. Fortrea provides clinical development and clinical trial services to biopharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostics companies, helping them design, run and deliver studies that bring new treatments to patients faster. The company positions itself as a partner to innovative biotech and biopharma sponsors, offering flexible, scalable delivery models and integrated CRO services at global scale. Fortrea's heritage stretches back more than 30 years. Its corporate lineage traces to Covance, one of the first CROs, which was spun off from Corning in 1997 and later acquired by Labcorp in 2015. After operating as Labcorp Drug Development (renamed from Covance in 2021), the clinical development business was spun off from Labcorp in 2023 to form Fortrea as an independent, publicly traded clinical services provider. The UK entity, Fortrea Development Limited, is part of that global organization and is registered in Leeds, United Kingdom. Fortrea's service portfolio spans clinical trial execution, clinical pharmacology, decentralized and remote clinical trial capabilities, pharmacovigilance, medical device and diagnostics development, and clinical supply and IRT solutions. The company has invested in technology-enabled delivery, including its Fortrea Intelligent Technology™ (FIT) product suite, which is designed to bring greater connectivity, efficiency and visibility to clinical trials. It also emphasizes site partnerships and flexible delivery models tailored to sponsor needs. In 2024 Fortrea sharpened its focus on core CRO services by spinning off FortreaRx™, its patient access services business, and Endpoint Clinical. The company continues to expand its capabilities through collaborations, such as a strategic collaboration with SCTbio to advance cell therapy development by combining Fortrea's clinical development expertise with SCTbio's cGMP manufacturing capabilities for cell-based therapies and viral vectors. Fortrea serves a global customer base across therapeutic areas including oncology, ophthalmology and cell and gene therapy, and maintains an active presence at major industry scientific and medical meetings. Its stated purpose is to deliver solutions that bring life-changing treatments to patients faster while creating lasting value for stakeholders.

Fortrea's history is rooted in Covance, one of the first contract research organizations. In the 1990s, Corning Incorporated acquired numerous best-in-class drug development companies, and in 1997 Corning spun off Covance as a publicly traded company. Over the following decades Covance expanded its capabilities through acquisitions, including market access consulting (2014), pharmacovigilance capabilities (2018), RCRI to enter the MedTech market (2019), and both Chiltern (enhancing biotech expertise) and Endpoint Clinical (adding IRT and clinical supply management solutions) in 2017. In 2015 Covance joined Labcorp, connecting research and diagnostics, and in 2020 it acquired technology to support decentralized clinical trials as well as a remote nursing offering. In 2021 Covance changed its name to Labcorp Drug Development. In 2023, the clinical development business spun off from Labcorp to form Fortrea, an independent company focused on being a leading clinical services provider. The UK-registered entity, Fortrea Development Limited, is part of this global organization and is based in Leeds, United Kingdom. Fortrea describes itself as raising CRO standards, drawing on a legacy of more than 30 years of product development expertise and positioning itself as a partner to innovative biotech and biopharma companies. In 2024 Fortrea sharpened its strategic focus on core CRO services and value creation by spinning off FortreaRx™, its patient access services business, and Endpoint Clinical. The company has continued to build out technology-enabled delivery, including its Fortrea Intelligent Technology™ (FIT) suite, and to pursue collaborations such as its strategic partnership with SCTbio to advance cell therapy development. Fortrea maintains an active presence at major scientific and medical meetings and serves a global customer base across therapeutic areas including oncology, ophthalmology and cell and gene therapy.

• 2025

  Fortrea named a 'Leader' in Everest Group's Pharmacovigilance Operations PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.

• 2024

  Fortrea focuses on core CRO services and value creation by spinning off FortreaRx™, patient access services and Endpoint Clinical.

• 2023

  Fortrea spins off from Labcorp to focus on being the leading clinical services provider.

• 2021

  Covance changes name to Labcorp Drug Development.

• 2020

  Acquisition of technology to support decentralized clinical trials and acquisition of a remote nursing offering.

• 2019

  Covance acquires RCRI, entering the MedTech market.

• 2018

  Acquisition of pharmacovigilance capabilities.

• 2017

  Covance acquires Chiltern, enhancing biotech expertise, and Endpoint Clinical, adding IRT and clinical supply management solutions.

• 2015

  Covance joins Labcorp, connecting research and diagnostics.

• 2014

  Acquisition of market access consulting.

• 1997

  Corning spins off Covance as a publicly traded company, forming one of the first CROs.

A global CRO raising CRO standards through agility at scale, technology-enabled delivery and flexible, sponsor-aligned service models, targeting innovative biotech and biopharma companies.

• Fortrea Intelligent Technology™ (FIT)

  A product suite of solutions that brings greater connectivity, efficiency and visibility to clinical trials.

• Integrated CRO services

  Flexible, scalable delivery models providing seamlessly integrated CRO services at a global scale.

• Site partnership solutions

  A novel approach to partnering with investigator sites to improve productivity and reduce complexity.

1. 1Fortrea: Global CRO Advancing Clinical Trials & Drug Developmentfortrea.com
2. 2About Fortrea | Advancing Clinical Developmentfortrea.com
3. 3Quality Commitment at Fortrea | Right First Time Clinical Standardsfortrea.com
4. 4Fortrea Culture | Our Values & Purposefortrea.com
5. 5Fortrea Development Limited (United Kingdom) - Wikidatawikidata.org