Contract research organizations go back decades, but it is only within the past few years that they have coalesced as their own force in the biotech industry. A noticeable shift occurred in outsourcing research and clinical work when Big Pharma R&D costs skyrocketed. Companies like Sanofi ($SNY), Eli Lilly ($LLY) and Pfizer ($PFE) began turning to CROs to help with the budget pressures. That in turn led to the global rise of drug development outsourcing and that is what led us to launch FierceCRO in February.
As the demand for outsourcing has grown, there has been an evolving need for how partnerships should be structured. Strategic partnerships now include configurations like functional service provider (FSP) outsourcing, which embraces a more specialized, individual service provider rather than a one-size-fits-all model with a company picking different CROs based on specific disciplines. Some agreements are emphasizing data managment, allowing companies a portal into expanded data resources and so saving time and money.
With this in mind, FierceCRO presents the Top 5 strategic CRO/Pharma partnerships in descending order. For the record, let us state that this list, while thoroughly researched, is subjective.The partnerships highlighted are here because they are good examples of the innovative ways companies are structuring these arrangements. Whether you agree with the list or not, let me know your thoughts. And if you can think of better partnerships that we overlooked, let us know by either commenting below or reaching out to me via email or Twitter. There is always room to disagree.
Studies tell us outsourced research and manufacturing shows no signs of slowing in the immediate future. As the work grows, new kinds of partnerships will develop to assure the best for the entities involved, and we assure you that FierceCRO will be there to tell you about it. -- Nesa Nourmohammadi (email | Twitter)