In the early 2000s, the pharmaceutical industry was facing a shift. Breakthrough scientific advances and the urgency to bring life-saving treatments to patients faster and more cost-effectively created a need for ones who could combine scientific excellence, speed, and scale with global collaboration. In this context, WuXi AppTec was born with a mission to serve as an "enabler" within the pharmaceutical health ecosystem, collaborating with ecosystem partners to lower the R&D cost, accelerating new drug research and development. 

When the company was established in 2000, there were just four founders and a single laboratory of 7,000 square feet, but with a bold dream that every drug can be made and every disease can be treated.

      The first lab at WuXi AppTec

            The first fume hood at WuXi AppTec

For 25 years, WuXi AppTec's number one priority continues to be providing customers with resources and capabilities to advance discoveries in the life sciences and deliver treatments to those in need. From day one, our service platform was built to meet the stringent requirements from either customers or regulatory authorities. Globally, WuXi AppTec has won approvals by regulatory agencies in the U.S., EU, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, New Zealand, and Switzerland. We take pride in a strong track record of upholding the highest intellectual property (IP), data and privacy protection standards, as well as abiding by the laws and regulations in the countries in which we operate. It is this unwavering dedication that has earned us the trust in every partnership and brought us to where we are now. 

WuXi AppTec's strategy is clear: through "Follow the science," "Follow the customers," and "Follow the molecules," we continuously expanded capabilities to stay at the forefront of the industry and deliver value to customers and patients. 

Starting with laboratory chemical synthesis, the company progressively expanded its services to biology and testing, and from the early stage of drug discovery all the way to commercialization and manufacturing. WuXi AppTec launched synthetic chemistry services in 2001, followed by process development services in 2003. In 2004, the company initiated manufacturing services for research and development, while 2005 saw the beginning of bioanalytical services. In 2007, the company further enhanced its offerings by introducing toxicology and formulation services, with more campuses opened.

The pursuit of better enabling our customers across different time zones and therapeutic areas is also mirrored in the strategic growth of global capacities and capabilities, which allows us to contribute to advancements in pharmaceutical innovation. 

One of the key milestones is the acquisition of the U.S.-based company AppTec in 2008, after which the company was renamed WuXi AppTec, evolving into a more comprehensive platform for global innovators. 

In the field of early discovery, the company acquired Crelux, a German drug discovery service provider in 2016, enhancing our structure-based drug discovery capabilities, and acquired HD Biosciences in 2017 to consolidate its biology R&D capabilities. In late-stage manufacturing, WuXi AppTec expanded into Couvet, Switzerland in 2021, bolstering our capabilities for large-scale drug product production, and enhancing supply chain flexibility while improving customers'access to European and global markets. 

Today, WuXi AppTec supports customers across the full spectrum of drug R&D and manufacturing. Through its fully integrated CRDMO model—spanning every stage of drug development, a wide range of modalities, and a global footprint that stretches across Asia, Europe, and North America—the company enables seamless transitions and accelerates the path from idea to medicine. 

Being part of the global healthcare community, WuXi AppTec's role goes beyond service delivery - we are humbled to support and sustain innovation ecosystems by linking startups, investors, and industry. Through leading conferences and professional events, we unite thousands of global leaders and entrepreneurs each year, strengthening collaboration across borders and across disciplines to help make innovation accessible to all.

We are proud of how far we've come. But we are even more excited about what lies ahead. As science accelerates and technologies converge, we stand ready—with our global platform, our passionate people, and our enduring values—to help shape the future of healthcare. Because when we empower our partners to succeed, we bring new hope to patients. And that is what truly drives us—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.