Small molecule drug companies develop low-molecular-weight medicines designed to interact with specific biological targets. These compounds can often enter cells and may be formulated as oral or other conventional dosage forms across a wide range of therapeutic areas.
This category includes companies working on:
Browse 221 UK small molecule drug companies below.
XF-73 antimicrobial advancing towards Phase 3 infection prevention
AMR Bio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing the XF-73 antimicrobial platform for preventing hospital-acquired infections. Its lead nasal formulation aims to reduce Staphylococcus aureus carriage before surgery. Following Phase 2b clinical testing, the programme is preparing for Phase 3 development.…
Targeted oncology combination therapies in biomarker-defined cancer populations
Mosaic Therapeutics is a Cambridge biotech developing targeted combination therapies for cancer. Its proprietary platform integrates genome-scale CRISPR screening, high-throughput combination drug testing across over 1,300 patient-derived tumour models, and advanced computational analysis to identify synergistic drug…
Anti-inflammatory drugs for neurodegenerative disease
Sitala Bio is a Cambridge-based biotech developing small molecule drugs that target chronic neuroinflammation in conditions such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The company's approach focuses on blocking microglial dysfunction to restore toxin clearance in the brain. Founded by NLRP3 inflammasome expert Matt…
Integrated drug development, formulation and Phase I clinical services
Quotient Sciences is a contract research, development and manufacturing organisation providing integrated drug development services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Its proprietary platform combines drug product formulation, clinical trial manufacturing, and Phase I clinical testing within a single programme,…
Pre-clinical platelet function testing for drug discovery and safety
Platelet Services is a contract research organisation specialising in pre-clinical platelet function testing for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. The company provides standard and customised assays to assess the effects of candidate compounds on platelet activity, supporting both anti-platelet drug programmes…
Intranasal anti-CD3 immunotherapy for neuroinflammatory diseases
Tiziana Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing immunomodulatory therapies for neurological and inflammatory diseases. Its lead candidate, intranasal foralumab, is a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody designed to modulate T-cell activity through nasal administration. The 48-patient…
Macrophage-targeted therapeutics for oncology, neurological and fibrotic diseases
Macomics is a University of Edinburgh spin-out developing macrophage-targeted medicines across oncology, neurodegenerative, inflammatory and fibrotic diseases. Its ENIGMAC drug discovery platform combines human macrophage and microglia models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, gene editing and…
Antigen modulation therapies for cancer and autoimmune disease
Grey Wolf Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing small molecule inhibitors of endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidases (ERAP1 and ERAP2) to modulate antigen presentation on cell surfaces. In oncology, this approach enhances tumour visibility to the immune system; in autoimmunity, it aims to…
Small molecule regulators of mitochondrial transfer for age related disease
Nascent Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing small molecule therapies that regulate mitochondrial transfer between cells. The company's discovery platform identifies compounds that promote the uptake of healthy mitochondria into damaged cells, or block cancer cells from taking mitochondria from…
Custom radiolabelling and integrated small molecule drug discovery services
Eurofins Selcia is a contract research organisation specialising in custom carbon-14 and stable isotope radiolabelling, GMP radiolabelled API manufacturing, and integrated small molecule drug discovery. Its radiochemistry services support preclinical and clinical ADME studies, human mass balance trials, dermal…
AI-ready toxicity datasets for preclinical drug discovery
Biolligence is a biotechnology company developing AI-ready toxicity datasets and predictive tools for the drug discovery industry. The company combines deep learning algorithms with stem cell-derived in vitro models and clinical data to generate mechanistic toxicity information aimed at reducing dependence on animal…
DNA damage response platform targeting hard-to-treat solid tumours
Artios Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule therapeutics that target DNA damage response pathways in cancer cells. The company's pipeline includes alnodesertib, an ATR inhibitor advancing toward late-stage development in ATM-deficient solid tumours, and ART6043, a DNA…
Global biopharma with UK R&D centre on the Wirral Peninsula
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is a global biopharmaceutical company with a long-established UK R&D site at Moreton on the Wirral Peninsula and its UK and Ireland commercial headquarters in Uxbridge. The Moreton facility, expanded in 2025, conducts chemistry, manufacturing and control activities supporting pharmaceutical…
Clinical-stage rare disease biotech acquiring deprioritised pharma assets
Mereo BioPharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing treatments for rare diseases. Founded in 2015, its business model centres on acquiring clinical-stage programmes deprioritised by large pharmaceutical companies and advancing them through further development. Lead programmes include…
Preclinical CRO for pharmaceutical and agrochemical drug development
Labcorp Early Development Laboratories is a major nonclinical contract research organisation operating from its Harrogate campus in North Yorkshire. The facility provides preclinical pharmaceutical development services including safety pharmacology, toxicology, pathology, bioanalytical testing, and drug metabolism and…
Small molecule protein degraders targeting oncology and CNS disease
Kesmalea Therapeutics is a biotechnology company developing oral small molecule therapeutics that modulate protein homeostasis through targeted protein degradation and stabilisation. The company's platform is designed to convert the potency of protein degrader approaches into orally bioavailable, CNS-penetrant small…
Hydrogel capsule platform for weight loss and oral drug delivery
Oxford Medical Products is developing a gastroretentive hydrogel platform with two applications. The technology is a swallowable dual-polymer capsule that expands in the stomach to suppress appetite without pharmacological intervention; a Phase 2a clinical trial is underway following positive Phase 1 results. Oxford…
Bioanalytical and toxicology laboratory for pharmaceutical and clinical research
Analytical Services International is a GLP and GCP-compliant bioanalytical laboratory providing mass spectrometry-based services to pharmaceutical companies and contract research organisations. Services include assay development, small molecule clinical bioanalysis, pharmacokinetic sample analysis, and…
Small molecule remyelination therapeutics for neurological diseases
Pheno Therapeutics is a Scottish clinical-stage biotechnology company developing small molecule therapeutics that promote remyelination by boosting the function of oligodendrocytes in the central nervous system. Its lead programme PTD802, a selective GPR17 antagonist licensed from UCB, received MHRA clinical trial…
Precision oncology biotech targeting novel DNA damage response pathways
Nodus Oncology is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing small molecule inhibitors against novel DNA damage response targets for molecularly defined cancer patient populations. The company's pipeline is focused on synthetic lethality and collateral vulnerabilities in tumours with specific DNA repair…