Covance History

Headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, Covance Inc. is a biological research company that strives for advancements in pharmaceuticals. In 2008, Covance, Inc. reported annual sales of $1.5 billion with 40 percent of its revenue coming from overseas. The company, which operates in 20 countries with more than 8,900 employees worldwide, has been a forerunner in DNA and RNA research. Covance is the second-largest biopharmaceutical research and development company.

Hazelton Laboratories Early Years

• In 1968, Environmental Sciences Corp. opened in the basement of what had at one time been a grocery store in Seattle, Washington. At that time, the company served as a manufacturer for equipment used in the care of laboratory animals. Environmental Sciences Corp. grew in size and assets. In 1972, it purchased a research company called Hazelton Laboratories and adopted its name. In 1977, Corning Glass Works purchased a small stake in the company.

Hazelton Laboratories Continued Growth

• Hazelton Laboratories continued its growth and expanded its work to include research testing of products such as medications, cosmetics, pesticides and chemicals. In addition, the company was involved in researching gene mutations, manufacturing laboratory equipment and breeding animals to be used in laboratory testing. By 1982, it was the largest biological testing and laboratory equipment manufacturing company. During the 1980s, Hazelton Laboratories sold off its manufacturing and breeding subsidiaries, focusing on its work in biological and chemical research.

The Formation of Corning Lab Services, Inc.

• Before 1989, Corning Glass Works had been a manufacturer of glass and related products. That changed when the company purchased G.H. Besselaar Associates, a company that specialized in conducting the required research necessary for pharmaceutical companies to receive Food and Drug Administration approval for use in humans. The company changed its name to Corning Inc. at that time and formed a subsidiary called Corning Lab Services Inc., which included Besselaar and Hazelton.

Corning Pharmaceutical Services

• During the 1990s, Corning Lab Services acquired a number of companies, including Microtest Ltd., Philadelphia Association of Clinical Trials Inc. and SciCor SA. By 1993, the company was a leader in contract biological and chemical clinical research. It was also working in the field of molecular toxicology. Corning Lab Services consolidated Hazelton Laboratories, Besselaar Associates and SciCor into one company, which it called Corning Pharmaceutical Services, which allowed the company to work from the testing phase through early marketing of pharmaceuticals. By 1994, Corning Pharmaceutical Services was earning net revenue of $19.6 million, and the parent company of Corning Lab Services was renamed Corning Life Sciences Inc.

Covance

• Corning Life Sciences, during the mid-1990s, expanded its offerings to include biotechnology, cost effectiveness of drugs and diagnostic testing. In 1996, Corning announced that it would allow a public stock offering of Corning Pharmaceutical Services, and it was soon renamed Covance Inc. The headquarters of the company was moved to New Jersey and the company continued to diversify. Throughout the late 1990s and the first decade of the new millenium, Covance began work on innovative methods of preclinical research, pharmaceutical packaging, cancer drug development and testing, and genetic variation drug development.