From drug development to clinical trial infrastructure and delivery of services, these innovators are disrupting the region’s pharmaceutical market.

By the time most people hear about a pharmaceutical advancement, chances are that the scientists have been waging war against a specific disease or condition for years, if not decades. According to industry group PhRMA, it takes 10 to 15 years on average to develop a new medicine from the moment of discovery through the regulatory process. The process is expensive, too. Estimates range from just under $1 billion dollars to $2.6 billion to get a drug out of the lab and into the pharmacy.

In addition to the biology and chemistry aspects of development, there is an entire industry to support the infrastructure needed to get these life-changing advancements to market. Over the past couple of decades, North Texas has become a leader in the life sciences and drug development industry, attracting the types of companies that create a pharmaceutical powerhouse and the talent to fuel ongoing growth.

North Texas is home to McKesson, one of the largest pharmaceutical distribution companies in the world. In addition, it has recently attracted the first non-coastal location of BioLabs, an international network of shared lab and office space. There are many other companies in the space that operate under the radar, quietly making a difference for patients and a name for the region as one that supports and develops life-changing medicines. Here are four of them.