Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Drug Discovery, Pre-clinical, Clinical), By Service (Clinical Monitoring, Data Management), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

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 their clinical 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.

COVID19 impact: Phase III clinical trial segment to exhibit a lucrative growth rate of 6.5%

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 of contract research organizations are likely to restrain the growth of the market for healthcare contract research organizations to some extent.

Type Insights

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 of biologics, recent epidemic events leading to the demand for new treatments, the need for personalized medicines and orphan drugs, and the demand for advanced technologies. 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.

Service Insights

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.

The regulatory/medical affairs segment is 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.

Regional Insights

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.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

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

• LabCorp.

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• PAREXEL INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

• Medidata Solutions, Inc.

• Pharmaron

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

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

• 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