Quantum computing's potential for drug discovery: Early stage industry dynamics

Quantum computing (QC) is expected to revolutionize drug research by performing tasks classical supercomputers are not capable of. However, practically useful quantum computation is not yet a reality, and thus it is still unclear when and whether QC will be capable of solving real-world issues in drug discovery. By identifying the QC-related activities of pharmaceutical companies, startups, and academia in the field of drug discovery and development, we show that QC has gained traction across all of these stakeholder groups, that there is focus on developing utilities related to lead optimization and compound screening, and that there is a need for collaboration in the highly dynamic QC ecosystem.