The pharmaceutical services industry is experiencing consolidation, reshaping competitive dynamics for clinical technology vendors and CROs. Thermo Fisher Scientific’s $8.87bn acquisition of Clario Holdings highlights this trend, creating threats and opportunities in the market. Understanding the impact of consolidation is crucial for companies to position themselves strategically.

The Thermo Fisher Scientific-Clario acquisition creates an integrated offering with PPD, one of the world’s largest CROs, and Clario’s digital endpoint platform. This vertical integration gives Thermo Fisher end-to-end support throughout the clinical trial value chain. Other life science conglomerates may follow suit to build similar integrated offerings.

CROs who have been working with Clario now face a strategic dilemma post-acquisition. They may seek alternative eCOA vendors to maintain competitiveness. This presents an opportunity for competing eCOA vendors to position themselves as independent, conflict-free alternatives in the market. Timing is crucial for clinical technology vendors to capitalize on changing market dynamics.

GlobalData’s Sales Intelligence platform provides valuable insights into pharmaceutical companies’ relationships with specific clinical vendors during market disruptions and acquisitions. Major deals drive the need for further innovation and differentiation in the industry. However, there is a disconnect between what vendors focus on and what sponsors prioritize during vendor evaluation.

Sponsors prioritize regulatory compliance, device flexibility, and patient usability when evaluating eCOA systems. The market needs better evaluation frameworks and clearer differentiation to address frustrations around comparing vendors and identifying differentiators. Real-time market intelligence is crucial amid industry consolidation to identify opportunities and understand buyer priorities deeply.

As the industry continues to consolidate, winners will be those who can identify opportunities quickly and differentiate meaningfully. Amanda Murphy from GlobalData emphasizes the importance of real-time data and market intelligence to capitalize on opportunities in the evolving clinical services landscape.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: how to gain an edge amid clinical services consolidation