Zack McCormack, PharmD Candidate 2017

Purdue University College of Pharmacy

IPhO National Student Officer of Chapter Development

Now, perhaps more than ever, the pharmaceutical industry is in a state of flux. With increasing pressures to bring medications to market swiftly and cost effectively, companies are looking for ways to more efficiently navigate the drug development process. Therefore, it is not surprising that Contract Research Organizations (CROs) have experienced an increase in popularity. CROs offer the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries support in the form of a multitude of outsourced, research services spanning the full range of the drug development and approval process. The CRO market has more than doubled since 2007 and by 2020, the percent of pharma companies planning on sharing trial design responsibilities with CROs is expected to go from its current rate of 17% to over 50%.^1,2 Therefore, it is important to analyze how CROs assist pharmaceutical companies in drug development.