CRO Selection Taken Seriously

By Rebecca McAvoy

Industry Standard Research (ISR) asked over 500 clinical-development outsourcers their level of agreement with the statement: My organization’s mix of CROs is not likely to change much in the next two years.

Industry Standard Research (ISR) asked over 500 clinical-development outsourcers their level of agreement with the statement: “My organization’s mix of CROs is not likely to change much in the next two years.” Sixty-five percent of these respondents at least slightly agreed with this statement. The remaining 35 percent at least slightly disagreed with the statement, meaning they anticipate some level of change to their organization’s mix of CROs over the next few years. Thirty-five percent might not seem like a high percentage, but if I were responsible for business development at a CRO and you told me that one-third of my accounts were considering changing their mix of CROs, you can bet I’d be nervous. I also may view this opportunistically, as this stat likewise means that one-third of my competitors’ accounts may be up for grabs as well.