Although cost efficiency is a major factor motivating pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms to outsource research, there is an increased emphasis on expertise and capabilities with the focus being on quality management. In the long term, European contract research organisations (CROs) with scale, global capabilities and expertise will emerge winners. At the same time, there is an evident evolution towards a full-service model.
New analysis from Frost & Sullivan (http://www.pharma.frost.com), European CRO Markets - A Strategic Analysis, finds that the European CRO market was $7.10 billion in 2008 and estimates this to reach $13.52 billion in 2015. The research analyses market dynamics, leading companies and industry trends to offer an opportunity analysis for the CRO market in the region.
If you are interested in a virtual brochure, which provides a brief synopsis of the research and a table of contents, then send an e-mail to Katja Feick, Corporate Communications, at katja.feick@frost.com, with your full name, company name, title, telephone number, company e-mail address, company website, city, state and country. Upon receipt of the above information, a brochure will be sent to you by e-mail.
"The growth of the European CRO market is expected to be spurred by the need for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to control costs and accelerate product development," notes Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Ranjith Gopinathan. "The high costs incurred when drugs fail during clinical trials has prompted interest in biomarkers. Hence, the development of biomarkers is a new growth driver for CROs."
European CROs could assist biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in compound selection, dose optimisation, efficacy and safety monitoring through the identification of biomarkers. They increasingly view this as an important growth segment. For instance, France based CRO Biovays focuses on expression, localisation and quantification of biomarkers.
CROs in Europe are also establishing strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies and adopting effective outsourcing models. In addition, they are expanding their global operations. Clinical trials are increasing in size and CROs are going offshore to benefit from untapped patient populations and imperatives of cost efficiency. Moreover, there is an increased opportunity for CROs offering initial screening programmes and capabilities in preclinical and early clinical trials. For instance, medium-sized European CROs such as UK-based Melbourn Scientific are venturing into the preclinical segment in order to capitalise on this trend.