The biotechnology sector may be stumbling. Even so, Synteract, a medium/small contract research organization (CRO) that works almost exclusively with biotechs, is doing fine. No, 2009 won't be 2008, when the company experienced 35 percent growth. But 2009 won't be terrible, either. Synteract CEO, president and co-founder Ellen Morgan projects 8…more...

There is lots of buzz about China being the next hot place for global clinical trials. The numbers being bandied about suggest $2 billion in Chinese pharmaceutical research and development in 2008. That's expected to surge to $10 billion by 2010. The Chinese government just committed $1 billion toward jump-starting its…more...

Ask a contract research organization (CRO) like Parexel how many employees it has overall or in a general region, and it's happy to say. But how many employees in India? As in exactly? Lips are zipped. At Kendle, too. And Covance. So why are head counts in India such sensitive numbers?…more...

To hear contract research organization (CRO) INC Research tell it, the marriage between themselves and MDS Pharma's Phase II-IV operations, which INC just bought, is the greatest match ever made—a fit even more snug and cozy than those two sides of the yin-yang symbol. The deal closes today. “If we'd sat…more...

If you're flying into Bangalore, India you can expect to emerge into a modern airport. But don't expect a road that will get you from the airport to town. The government got the airport built, but not the road. Not yet. “That is typical of India, generally,” says Bob Scott-Edwards, president…more...

In the U.S., protracted contract negotiations between sponsors or contract research organizations (CROs) and investigator sites are the norm. They set trials back an average of three months. In India, investigator sites come with their own set of problems, but contracting delays are not among them, says Dan McDonald, vice president…more...

I recently read a white paper by ISR Reports entitled CRO Differentiation. It came out and flatly said what many of us have thought for some time: there is minimal differentiation between contract research organizations (CRO) in the middle and large size. Sponsors often choose them based on price alone. Needless…more...

WorldCare Clinical is on a hiring binge. The imaging-focused contract research organization (CRO), which was spun off from Massachusetts General Hospital 17 years ago, has hired three top-level executives in the last five months. All of them came from the same company: the troubled small pharma firm Acusphere, which late last…more...

Which firms are the prime suppliers of clinical trial services and technologies? Which can weather the economic storm? The economy in 2009 and 2010 is likely to remain precarious. The life sciences continue to be ever more reliant on outsourcing. Is there a short list of firms that are sufficiently large,…more...

Public or private. Contract research organization (CRO) or technology vendor. If a company specialized in supporting clinical trials, we considered it. It's no surprise: Quintiles is at the head of our inaugural list of the industry's pre-eminent clinically focused outsourcing firms. Most are CROs, but we've also included a handful of…more...