PHARMA CONTRACT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (CRO) SERVICES MARKET: OVERVIEW
As per Roots Analysis, the global pharma contract research organization (CRO) services market valued at USD 25 billion in the current year is anticipated to grow at a lucrative CAGR of 10% during the forecast period.
The market sizing and opportunity analysis has been segmented across the following parameters:
Scale of Operation
- Discovery Services
- Preclinical Services
- Clinical Stage Services
Target Therapeutic Area
- Cardiovascular Disorders
- Dermatological Disorders
- Infectious Disorders
- Inflammatory Disorders
- Neurological Disorders
- Oncological Disorders
- Ophthalmological Disorders
- Respiratory Disorders
- Other Disorders
Key Geographies
- North America
- Europe
- Asia- Pacific
- Latin America
- Middle East and North Africa
- Rest of the World
PHARMA CONTRACT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (CRO) SERVICES MARKET: GROWTH AND TRENDS
The overall drug development process starts from identifying a promising pharmacological candidate to bringing a clinically approved product to market. This entire process spans around 10 to 15 years. Additionally, both clinical research and drug discovery demand substantial financial resources, with average investments ranging from USD 4 to 10 billion. Therefore, owing to the prohibitive capital investments and complex infrastructure requirements for drug discovery and development, the innovators are increasingly relying on the pharmaceutical contract research service providers.

The rising trend of outsourcing in the pharmaceuticals market can be attributed to the variety of services offered by CROs, and their ability to optimize the clinical research timeline. Moreover, CROs provide several benefits including customized services, reduced costs and access to advanced technologies that have prompted a number of pharmaceutical companies to outsource their research operations. Further, as the demand for novel therapeutics continues to evolve, CROs are expected to navigate through the emerging trends, such as customized services and personalized medicine.
PHARMA CONTRACT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (CRO) SERVICES MARKET: KEY INSIGHTS
The report delves into the current state of the global pharma contract research organization (CRO) services market and identifies potential growth opportunities within industry. Some key findings from the report include:
- Presently, several industry players claim to have the necessary capabilities to provide a wide range of contract research services and clinical trial support for a variety of pharmaceutical interventions.
- The market is fragmented, featuring the presence of both established players and small firms that offer contract research services, encompassing multiple therapeutic areas and at different scales of operation.

- More than 40% of players were established post 2010; examples of such companies include Assay.Works, Celerion, Concept Life Sciences, Molecular Forecaster and ProRelix Research.
- Majority of the stakeholders offer services for research and development of small molecule pharmacological interventions for the treatment of various oncological, neurological and cardiovascular disorders.
- Amongst the various clinical research services, companies primarily offer support for clinical trial management, medical writing, pharmacovigilance studies, biostatistics and data management services.
- To cater to the evolving clinical research-related needs of clients / sponsors, stakeholders have established their presence in both developed and developing regions of the world.
- In pursuit of gaining a competitive edge, service providers are actively upgrading their existing capabilities and adding new competencies in order to augment their respective portfolios and comply to existing benchmarks.
- The rising interest of stakeholders in this domain is also reflected in the increase in partnerships; since 2018, industry players have entered into multiple strategic agreements with CROs.
- The partnership activity has increased at a CAGR of 15% during the given time period; majority of the instances were related to acquisition of companies.
- In the past, both established players and new entrants have forged multiple strategic partnerships for oncological and neurological disorders.
- Established players in North America and Europe are actively consolidating their presence in the market through strategic acquisitions; portfolio and geographical expansion are amongst the key value drivers.
- The current biopharmaceutical CRO market landscape is a growing opportunity area, well served via well-established players and specialty service providers.
- More than two-thirds of the contract research service providers are based in North America and Europe; most of these players are small and mid-sized companies.
- Close to 20% of the CROs provide research services for biologics at the clinical and preclinical scales; examples include Alliance Pharma, and Covance.
- About 50% of the overall players offer only clinical services; of these, 12% CROs provide all the services associated with clinical research of biologics.
- Our proprietary total cost of ownership model suggests an informed estimate of direct and indirect expenses while setting up a contract research facility in different regions over a span of 20 years.
- The pharmaceutical CROs market is projected to grow at an annualized rate of 10% and the opportunity is expected to be well distributed across different scales of operation, therapeutic areas and key geographies.

Example Players in the Pharma Contract Research Organization (CRO) Services Market
- Albany Molecular Research (AMRI)
- BioDuro
- BOC Sciences
- Catalent Pharma
- Charles River Laboratories
- ChemDiv
- Covance
- Medpace
- QPS
- Concept Life Sciences
- Evotec
- ChemPartner
- Pharmaron
- Syngene
- Torrent Pharma
- WuXi AppTec
PHARMA CONTRACT RESEARCH ORGANIZATION (CRO) SERVICES MARKET: RESEARCH COVERAGE
- Market Sizing and Opportunity Analysis: The report features an in-depth analysis of the pharma contract research organization (CRO) services market, focusing on key market segments, including [A] scale of operation, [B] target therapeutic area and [C] key geographies.
- Market Landscape: A comprehensive evaluation of the companies offering pharmaceutical contract research services, based on several relevant parameters, such as [A] year of establishment, [B] company size, [C] scale of operation, [D] location of headquarters, [E] type(s) of services offered, [F] hit identification strategy used, [G] type of business model and [H] target therapeutic area.
- Company Profiles: In-depth profiles of the pharma CRO companies offering pharmaceutical related services, focusing on [A] overview of the company, [B] financial information (if available), [C] service portfolio and [D] recent developments and an informed future outlook.
- Company Competitiveness Analysis: A comprehensive competitive analysis of pharma CRO companies, examining factors, such as [A] supplier strength and [B] service strength.
- Partnerships and Collaborations: An insightful analysis of the deals inked by stakeholders in the pharma CRO market, based on several parameters, such as [A] year of agreement, [B] type of agreement, [C] scale of operation and [D] target therapeutic area.
- Mergers and Acquisitions: An in-depth analysis of the mergers and acquisitions undertaken in this domain, based on relevant parameters, such as [A] year of acquisition, [B] type of collaboration and [C] geographical location of the companies.
- Total Cost of Ownership in Pharmaceutical Contract Research Organization: An insightful analysis of the total cost of ownership for a pharmaceutical CRO. It features an informed estimate of direct and indirect costs taking into consideration close to 100 relevant parameters over a span of 20 years.
- Case Study: A detailed discussion on current market landscape of biopharmaceutical CROs, including information on the [A] year of establishment, [B] company size, [C] scale of operation and [D] type of services offered.
KEY QUESTIONS ANSWERED IN THIS REPORT
- How many companies are currently engaged in this market?
- Which are the leading companies in this market?
- What factors are likely to influence the evolution of this market?
- What is the current and future market size?
- What is the CAGR of this market?
- How is the current and future market opportunity likely to be distributed across key market segments?
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