Top 10 Clinical Research Organizations Powering Modern Medicine

Rapid advancements in biotechnology, along with increases in chronic diseases and clinical trial outsourcing, have led to a growing demand for clinical research organizations (CROs). Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies outsource clinical testing to CROs to help them bring products to market faster. The global CRO market is expected to surpass $92.32 billion USD by 2032.¹

This article will explore the role of CROs in clinical research and highlight the top 10 clinical research organizations in the market today.

A clinical research organization facilitates and conducts clinical trials. CROs work with organizations that need to conduct clinical trials, such as biotech firms, drug manufacturers and medical device companies, to help throughout the process. They can help with designing a study, establishing protocols, recruiting volunteers, and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and standards.²

CROs significantly accelerate drug and medical device development because they offer established expertise and support in navigating the clinical trial process. The involvement of CROs doesn’t end after the clinical trial. They continue to monitor the safety and effectiveness of pharmaceuticals and devices in the real world. Ongoing monitoring allows CROs to identify any adverse reactions or interactions early and ensure the products continue to meet the highest safety and quality standards.²

CROs perform an estimated 75% of clinical trials, in large part because clinical trials have become more complicated in recent years.³ According to a survey by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a leading CRO, 51% of drug developers cite the increasing complexity of clinical trials as their top challenge, while 55% cite patient recruitment and 46% mention regulatory compliance.³ Manufacturers and developers can work with CROs to outsource aspects of clinical trials that are too expensive to conduct in-house or require expertise they don’t have. Working with a CRO allows developers to offload the complexities that are too difficult for sponsors to handle alone.³

Given that sponsors are transferring a large portion of the responsibility for the success or failure of their clinical trials to a CRO, they’ll want to make sure that they’re working with a reliable and experienced partner.¹ The following clinical research organizations are all well-known and respected partners that sponsors can work with to develop and carry out robust clinical trials.

IQVIA began conducting clinical trials in the early 1980s and is one of the largest CROs in the world. Founded in North Carolina, it now works in over 100 countries, where it helps design protocols and engage in phase 1 trial designs.⁴ Researchers in phase 1 trials test a treatment on a small group of people to study its safety and side effects. Phase 2 trials are given to a larger group to study a treatment's effectiveness and safety. Phase 3 trials are administered to an even larger group (up to 3,000 people) to study effectiveness compared to other treatments, monitor side effects and collect other safety data. Phase 4 trials track a treatment's safety after it's approved by the FDA.⁵ IQVIA will also help assess and improve phase 2 and 3 clinical trials and assist with recruiting patients and selecting sites.⁴

Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina with a team of over 21,000 people in global offices, Parexel provides a full range of phase 1 to phase 4 clinical development services to accelerate the time to market even in complex areas. Parexel recognizes the importance of designing inclusive trials, so they take an intentional approach to recruiting diverse patients.⁶

ICON plc was founded in Dublin, Ireland in 1990 and has grown to almost 42,000 employees in 55 countries. ICON's broad reach and use of digital technology allow them to reach a larger number of diverse patients by making it easier for them to participate in clinical trials. Their centralized remote monitoring and data analytics ensures strong quality control and risk management.⁷

Syneos Health supports sponsors throughout the clinical development process, from the earliest phases through commercial delivery. It has locations throughout the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Given the increased complexity of clinical trials, Syneos recognizes that each of its partners needs different solutions. To address this, it takes a custom approach to developing the right model, technology, process optimization, and metrics for each partner based on their unique needs.⁸

Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) began as a one-person consulting firm in North Carolina in 1985. It evolved into a worldwide organization that provides pharmaceutical and biotech companies with multiple clinical trial solutions from early design to product development and site selection assistance.⁴

Labcorp has over five decades of experience in drug development with headquarters in Burlington, North Carolina, and more than 14,000 employees worldwide. They offer help with nonclinical as well as clinical trial testing. They have over 5,000 protocols and 186,000 clinical investigator sites globally. Their extensive range of laboratory and logistics infrastructure can help accelerate patient access to lifesaving therapies.⁹

Unlike many other options, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based Medpace is a mid-sized CRO that hasn’t acquired other companies during its growth process. Instead, they’ve grown organically to employ over 5,000 people in over 40 countries. However, their revenue is growing quickly and increased by 29.2% in 2023. Medpace prides itself on a close, individual relationship with all of its partners throughout the clinical trial development process.¹⁰

Rather than providing services for every type of clinical trial, Pharm-Olam distinguishes itself by specializing in areas that include rare and orphan diseases, infectious diseases and vaccines, oncology-hematology, and allergy and autoimmune. With headquarters in Houston, Texas, and Bracknell, United Kingdom, Pharm-Olam operates in over 60 countries worldwide. It offers solutions to support these verticals in the areas of regulatory affairs, study feasibility, data management, biostatistics, and clinical monitoring and operations, among others.⁴

With offices in mainland China, the U.S. and throughout the world, WuXi AppTec provides end-to-end services for biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Its integrated model begins with research but continues through development and manufacturing. It’s a good option for companies that want a comprehensive solution that includes chemistry, biology, and testing solutions.¹¹

Fisher Clinical Services is another branch of Thermo Fisher Scientific. They’re headquartered in Philadelphia and work exclusively in clinical packaging and distribution services. They provide clinical trial support with biologics management, clinical label services, and clinical supply optimization services, among others.⁴

Clinical research is a professionally and financially rewarding career pathway that is set for growth over the next 10 years.¹² Earning an online Graduate Certificate in Clinical Research from Kent State University can help equip you with the skills and knowledge you need for a career in clinical research in as little as two semesters. After earning a certificate, you can also apply your coursework toward a Master of Public Health. Contact one of our admissions outreach advisors today to learn more.