CRO

Also known as: Contract Research Organisation

A company that runs clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical sponsors.

Definition

A Contract Research Organisation (CRO) provides outsourced clinical trial operations — site management, monitoring, biostatistics, data management, regulatory submissions — to drug sponsors. Top global CROs: IQVIA, ICON, Labcorp, Syneos, Parexel, PPD/Thermo. CRO market exceeds $80B annually.

See also

• Phase 3 trial — Large randomised registration trial (300–3000+ patients) used to support regulatory approval.

Other commercial terms

• Biosimilar
• Generic drug
• QALY
• NICE TA
• ICER (cost)
• WAC