CROs play growing role in early-stage research

John Carroll — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:56:22 -0400

Contract research organizations are playing a growing role helping small biotech companies develop early-stage therapeutics, according to a new report from Turner Investment Partners. Over the past five years the global CRO industry has seen their revenue share from biotech companies grow from 21 percent to 30 percent. And regulators have shown a preference for the broad patient groups that international CROs can offer.

On a darker note, the TIP report also underscores that a falling rate of new drug approvals at a time of soaring costs is causing pharma companies to lose interest in their R&D operations. And that, they say, is a disaster in the making.

"Pharma companies must innovate to survive" says the report, "which means that while they are striving to control costs, they also need to keep spending on research and development to create profitable, proprietary new drugs and replenish the pipeline."

- read the report from In-PharmaTechnologist