The global healthcare contract research organization market size was valued at USD 42.3 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% from 2022 to 2030. The increasing investment in R&D programs, preference for outsourcing activities due to time and cost constraints, and patent expiration in the healthcare sector are key factors anticipated to drive the market in the coming years. Contract research outsourcing collaborations offer cutting-edge services and thus government organizations prefer assigning projects to CROs, thereby facilitating the market growth.
Increasing pressure on drug developers pertaining to clinical data management, regulatory environments, and stringent safety standards are the factors expected to drive demand for contract research organizations within the healthcare sector. Healthcare and pharmaceutical companies are not only outsourcing the production of medicines but also theirclinical trials. With increasing clinical trial privatization, there is a surge in outsourcing to developing countries. Many healthcare contract research organizations are now enhancing their global research network in order to provide better services to their customers. For instance, in September 2020, ICON announced the launch of Accellacare, a global research network offering patients easier and faster access to innovative treatments, thus providing customers the option to deploy decentralized trials.
Pandemic Impact |
Post COVID Outlook |
In April 2020, the National Institute of Health together with the Foundation for the NIH (FNIH) launched a public-private partnership to accelerate treatment & vaccine options for Coronavirus. |
CROs are offering effective solutions in accordance with EMA/FDA/HA guidelines and recommendations regarding the management of clinical trials in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic |
Pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the clinical trial life cycle, and are likely to incorporate remote ways of working to mitigate disruption |
The new normal is likely to see a greater emphasis on patient- and site-centricity as sponsors look to increase the relevance of their pipeline program for patients, sites, and caregivers while also reducing the trial burden on them. |
The pandemic, for the first time in history, has resulted in the global disruption of traditional onsite clinical trials. Hence, the regulatory agencies such as the U.S. FDA, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and China’s National Medical Products Administration, and several other countries have issued guidelines related to the conduct of trials during the outbreak of coronavirus, and are in complete support of incorporating virtual services. |
Companies will continue to seek more regulatory advice in the recovery phase-on missing data, telemedicine, remote monitoring, home nursing, data privacy, and more. However, as companies push to accelerate product development and approvals in devices, vaccines, and therapies for COVID-19, they are likely to engage even more intensively with regulatory agencies. |
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly hampered the healthcare contract research organization industry growth. Factors such as shortage of patients and temporary closure of clinical trial operating sites have negatively impacted the market for healthcare contract research organizations. However, this crisis created a need for virtual trials and leveraging technology and software solutions. Increasing adoption of machine learning-based platforms,artificial intelligence, and innovative trial designs are projected to transform the contract research organization landscape in the coming years. The pandemic had created an urgent demand for COVID-19 treatment. Owing to which various market players had adopted several partnership strategies to speed up the vaccine development process.
For instance, in July 2021, a contract research organization, QPS, partnered with Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation for completing the toxicology studies required to start the development of a vaccine against COVID-19. Such strategies are likely to have a positive impact on the growth of the market for healthcare contract research organizations. However, issues related to the intellectual property rights, and service quality issues ofcontract research organizationsare likely to restrain the growth of the market for healthcare contract research organizations to some extent.
The clinical services segment dominated the market for healthcare contract research organizations and held the highest revenue share of 76.4% in 2021. This growth is owing to the rising number ofbiologics, recent epidemic events leading to the demand for new treatments, the need forpersonalized medicines孤儿药物,对先进技术的需求nologies. Factors such as technological evolution, globalization of clinical trials, and demand for a contract research organization to conduct clinical trials are further projected to drive growth. Outsourcing of Phase III clinical trials to healthcare contract research organizations generated the highest revenue in 2021 due to the fact that they are one of the most expensive stages of a clinical trial; approximately 90.0% of the expenses occurring during the clinical development of a drug stem from this phase.
The preclinical studies segment is projected to witness a rapid growth of 8.1% during the forecast period. An increase in the number of preclinical trials globally and an increasing need to curb R&D expense are expected to contribute to the growing demand for quality preclinical CRO, thereby contributing to market growth. Moreover, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has further boosted demand for preclinical studies; a majority of the pharmaceutical companies are focusing on the research of novel therapeutics for the treatment of COVID-19 infection post-2021. For instance, in March 2021, Sanofi and Translate Bio, a clinical-stage messenger RNA therapeutics company, announced the initiation of a preclinical study for MRT5500, an mRNA vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. Hence, the aforementioned factors will significantly support segmental growth.
The clinical monitoring segment dominated the market for healthcare contract research organizations and accounted for the largest revenue share of 20.6% in 2021. This may be attributed to the increasing number of clinical trials & the need to monitor those studies that are creating more demand for these services. Clinical research is being outsourced to CROs over the past decade due to various reasons such as cost-effectiveness and technical expertise. The introduction of smart analytics along with real-time data acquisition devices is estimated to improve clinical monitoring data in the healthcare sector. Real-time data acquisition related to drug safety and toxicity enables early identification of trial errors and enables timely rectifications such as trial re-design or termination, thereby propelling segment growth.
监管/医务段anticipated to witness the fastest growth rate of 10.8% in the Healthcare Contract Research Organization (CRO) market over the forecast period. The outsourcing for regulatory affairs is expanding rapidly due to the increase in R&D activities, clinical trial applications, product registration, and drug pipeline. The increasing demand to obtain approval for new products, maintain compliance, and do more with less is projected to support the growth of the segment.
Asia Pacific dominated the market for healthcare contract research organizations and held the largest revenue share of 42.7% in 2021. The region is also anticipated to grow at a rapid pace over the forecast period. This may be attributed to the high prevalence of chronic conditions, availability of diverse populations, easy patient recruitment and retention, and the establishment of regulations as per accepted standards. Besides this, favorable initiatives by public organizations to reduce the time for drug approval are also contributing to market growth. For instance, in October 2021, the Department of Pharmaceuticals (India) drafted new rules to reduce the time required for the approval of innovative products by at least 50% within the next two years, to improve the R&D activities in the country. Such initiatives are anticipated to further propel regional growth.
In North America, the market for healthcare contract research organizations held a substantial share in 2021, owing to the highest number of trials undertaken and outsourced in the region. In addition, growing government support for R&D activities through grants and funds to research institutes and companies has driven this regional market. For instance, in 2018, the U.S. government invested USD 194.2 billion in medical & health R&D. Similarly, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority invested approximately USD 19,283 million for the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition to offering improved services, healthcare contract research organizations are in the process of collaborating to promote their services at a global level. For instance, in December 2020, IQVIA collaborated with Servier, an independent international pharma company, to reinvent their processes of R&D clinical development as well as support their long-term R&D success. Besides, these market players are advancing their offerings by providing virtual connectivity in this pandemic. For instance, in March 2020, PRA Health Sciences declared the expansion of its Mobile Health Platform for clinical monitoring as a response to the ongoing global pandemic. This action was taken by the company to provide virtual study support to the sponsors in the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the prominent players in the healthcare contract research organization market include:
ICON Plc
Charles River Laboratories (CRL)
Syneos Health
IQVIA HOLDINGS INC.
GVK Biosciences Private Limited
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
PAREXEL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
Medidata Solutions, Inc.
Pharmaron
SGS SA
KCR S.A.
CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting
PSI CRO AG
Clintec
Worldwide Clinical Trials
Wuxi AppTec
Advanced Clinical
Pharm-Olam, LLC
Clinipace
Report Attribute |
Details |
Market size value in 2022 |
USD 45.1 billion |
Revenue forecast in 2030 |
USD 74.7 billion |
Growth rate |
CAGR of 6.5% from 2021 to 2030 |
Base year for estimation |
2021 |
Historical data |
2018 - 2020 |
Forecast period |
2022 - 2030 |
Quantitative units |
Revenue in USD Million and CAGR from 2022 to 2030 |
Report coverage |
Revenue forecast, company share, competitive landscape, growth factors, and trends |
Segments Covered |
Type, service, application, end-use, region |
Regional scope |
North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; Middle East & Africa |
Country scope |
U.S.; Canada; U.K.; Germany; France; Italy; Spain; Switzerland; Belgium; Netherlands; Austria; India; China; Japan; Korea (republic); Taiwan; Australia; Indonesia; Malaysia; Singapore; Thailand; Brazil; Mexico; Argentina; Chile; Colombia; South Africa; Saudi Arabia; UAE; Iran; Israel |
Key companies profiled |
ICON Plc; Charles River Laboratories (CRL); Syneos Health; IQVIA HOLDINGS INC.; GVK Biosciences Private Limited; LabCorp; Thermo Fisher Scientific; PAREXEL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION; Medidata Solutions, Inc.; Pharmaron; Pharmaron; SGS SA; KCR S.A.; CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting; PSI CRO AG; Clintec; Worldwide Clinical Trials; Wuxi AppTec; Advanced Clinical; Pharm-Olam, LLC; Clinipace |
Customization scope |
Free report customization (equivalent up to 8 analysts’ working days) with purchase. Addition or alteration to country, regional, and segment scope |
价格和购买该俱乐部ns |
Avail customized purchase options to meet your exact research needs.Explore purchase options |
This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For the purpose of this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global healthcare Contract Research Organization (CRO) market report on the basis of type, service, and region:
Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)
Drug Discovery
Target Validation
Lead Identification
Lead Optimization
Pre-Clinical
Clinical
Phase I Trial Services
Phase II Trial Services
Phase III Trial Services
Phase IV Trial Services
Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)
Project Management/Clinical Supply Management
Data Management
Regulatory/Medical Affairs
Medical Writing
Clinical Monitoring
Quality Management/ Assurance
Bio-statistics
Investigator Payments
Laboratory
Patient and site Recruitment
Technology
Others
Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)
Oncology
Cardiovascular
Autoimmune/Inflammation
Central nervous system (CNS)
Dermatology
Infectious diseases
Diabetes
Pain
Others
End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)
Pharmaceutical & Biopharmaceutical Companies
Medical Device Companies
Others
Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)
North America
U.S.
Canada
Europe
U.K.
Germany
France
Spain
Italy
Switzerland
Belgium
Netherlands
Austria
Asia Pacific
India
China
Japan
Korea (Republic)
Taiwan
Australia
Indonesia
Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Latin America
Brazil
Mexico
Argentina
Colombia
Chile
Middle East & Africa
South Africa
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Iran
Israel
b.The global healthcare contract research organization market size was estimated at USD 42.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 45.1 billion in 2022.
b.The global healthcare contract research organization market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.5% from 2022 to 2030 to reach USD 74.7 billion by 2030.
b.Based on type, the clinical segment dominated the healthcare CRO market and accounted for the largest revenue share of 76.4% in 2021.
b.Some key players operating in the healthcare CRO market include ICON Plc; Charles River Laboratories (CRL); Syneos Health; IQVIA HOLDINGS INC.; GVK Biosciences Private Limited; LabCorp; Thermo Fisher Scientific; PAREXEL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION; Medidata Solutions, Inc.; Pharmaron; • Pharmaron; SGS SA; KCR S.A.; CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting; PSI CRO AG; Clintec; Worldwide Clinical Trials; Wuxi AppTec; Advanced Clinical; Pharm-Olam, LLC; and Clinipace
b.Key factors that are driving the healthcare contract research organization market growth include increasing investment in R&D programs, preference for outsourcing activities due to time and cost constraints, and patent expiration in the healthcare sector.
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