Cancer continues to be one of the most significant health crises facing the world, with millions of lives affected every year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and close to 10 million deaths were reported globally in 2022. WHO also reports cancer to be the second most common cause of death worldwide, being responsible for one in six deaths. These figures underscore the vital importance of ongoing efforts to pursue cancer research and the development of cancer drugs through oncology clinical trials, in particular. The global oncology drugs market was valued at US$141.33 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach an astonishing US$394.24 billion by 2027, demonstrating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.6% during this period.  

Considering its staggering global disease burden, oncology drugs are a significant contributor to the pharmaceutical industry’s expansion, creating a valuable opportunity for sponsors to partner with an oncology CRO (contract research organization). This has created a thriving market that holds a promising outlook for both existing oncology CROs and those that are newly emerging. 

In this article, we look at the top ten oncology CROs poised for success in 2024 (in no order), particularly each of their contributions to cancer research. 

 

The Demand for Oncology CROs (Contract Research Organizations) 

Oncology CROs play a crucial and fundamental role in the development of cancer treatments. Their extensive involvement can span anywhere from the initial stages of research, involving preclinical experiments to understand the nature of cancer cells and their behavior, to the complex and rigorous final stages of human cancer clinical trials. As the demand for their services continues to grow, so does the potential for their development and expansion. To illustrate, the global in-vivo oncology CRO market size is expected to reach US$2.3 billion by 2030, increasing at a CAGR of 8.2% between 2023 and 2030.  

Based on these projections, the oncology CRO industry is poised for significant growth in 2024, specifically due to several key factors. For example, the prevalence of cancer on a global scale is increasing, which amplifies the demand for innovative and efficient treatments. Furthermore, we are in an exciting new technology-driven era of achieving continuous advancements in oncology research, which presents new opportunities and possibilities for the development of new drugs. Therefore, given the oncology CRO industry’s critical role in driving forward the fight against cancer, its predicted growth signifies an optimistic future for the millions of patients and families affected by this disease. 

Continue reading to discover the top ten oncology CROs to watch in 2024! 

 

1. Cmed (An Aixial Group Company)

Founded: 2000 

Headquarters: Horsham, United Kingdom 

Cmed is a specialized oncology CRO that specializes in delivering successful trials in oncology, immuno-oncology, cell and gene therapy and other specialty therapeutics. Since its founding in West Sussex, United Kingdom, it has established a significant presence across several regions across the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Their comprehensive suite of services includes clinical operations, data management, biostatistics, medical writing, and regulatory affairs. It is particularly known for its proprietary technology, encapsia®, which delivers impressive live data capture and visualization capabilities for clinical trials.  

As of 2021, Cmed’s extensive experience as a specialized oncology CRO includes the following achievements. 

• 46,000 patients enrolled globally 
• Over 250 oncology studies delivered 
• 4,400 investigative sites worldwide 
• 47 cell & gene therapy studies 

Across their medical, regulatory, and operational teams, Cmed is made up entirely of clinical professionals with in-depth cancer expertise. Of their oncology clinical trials, 25% were on hematological cancers, whereas 75% involved a variety of solid tumors. In 2021, Cmed was fully integrated into the Aixial Group, the CRO solution of ALTEN Group.  

 

2. IQVIA’s Oncology CRO

Founded: 1982 

Headquarters: Durham, North Carolina 

IQVIA, formerly known as Quintiles and IMS Health, was founded in the United States and is now a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. They are a full-service CRO that caters to a wide range of disease areas, including oncology, where the company’s expertise encompasses various types of cancer such as breast, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancer, among others. As a multinational CRO, IQVIA has had a long-standing presence in nearly 100 countries, running cancer clinical trials across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.  

The company’s accomplishments speak for themselves:  

• 11 oncology market approvals supported between August 2019 to 2020 
• Over 690 Phase I-II studies conducted since 2016 
• Dedicated technology solutions for enhanced trial cohort planning and management 
• Global network of qualified Phase I oncology sites to deliver fast site activation and better patient recruitment 

Beyond their clinical trials expertise, IQVIA offers end-to-end laboratory services from Q2 Solutions for biomarker services, assay validation, and development of companion diagnostics. They also utilize modeling and simulation of multiple datasets to identify optimal doses of targeted therapies in oncology clinical trials. 

 

3. TFS HealthScience

Founded: 1996 

Headquarters: Lund, Sweden 

Rooted in Sweden, TFS HealthScience emerged as a pioneer as the first CRO in Europe to establish a Functional Service Provider (FSP) business. This mid-size CRO services more than 40 countries, with a global footprint spanning across Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. TFS is also dedicated to sustainability and social responsibility within clinical research and business as a whole. They offer full CRO services, including clinical development support for Phase I to IV clinical trials and RWE, expert resourcing services, and scalable FSP outsourcing solutions across multiple therapeutic areas. Although the company covers a wide range of therapeutic areas, it holds specialized experience in running oncology trials, with nearly one-third of all TFS studies being in the hematology and oncology sector [11].  

TFS offers a team of seasoned experts who are familiar with a large variety of indications, such as NSCLC, breast cancer, prostate cancer, solid tumors, HPV/cervical cancer, and malignant hematology studies. As a dedicated full-service CRO, the TFS Oncology & Hematology unit boasts the following accomplishments under the leadership of Bin Pan: 

• Nearly 800 sites vetted and managed 
• More than 300 cancer clinical trials performed 
• Nearly 9,000 patients participated  
• Running solution-driven partnerships across more than 20 countries 

Learn more about Dr. Pan’s renowned oncology expertise in our EmpowHER Spotlight article here! The TFS oncology team is also dedicated to increasing cancer awareness and education worldwide; read about their efforts on the TFS Intellect Hub here. 

 

4. ICON’s Oncology CRO

Founded: 1990 

Headquarters: Dublin, Ireland 

ICON plc was established in Ireland with a vision to build an organization that would provide comprehensive research solutions to healthcare companies across the globe. Since then, the company has grown to a massive team operating on a global scale, servicing several regions, including North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. They have also developed ICONIK, a unique technology platform that enables real-time tracking and management of clinical trials, improving their efficiency and transparency.

Although ICON has an extensive range of therapeutic expertise, focusing on various disease areas, its oncology CRO is a particularly strong specialty. This large CRO is experienced both with early-phase oncology and immuno-oncology, with the following track record: 

• Over 380 immuno-oncology clinical trials conducted  
• Experience in all development phases for indications such as leukemia, pancreatic cancer, and solid tumors 
• More than 44,500 patients involved 
• Nearly 18,000 sites in action worldwide 

Sponsors can also benefit from ICON’s experience with the development of immunotherapies, such as CAR-T therapies, custom assay development for assessing the efficacy and safety of cancer therapies, and commercial success with adoptive cell transfer therapies.  

 

5. Premier Research 

Founded: 1989 

Headquarters: Durham, North Carolina 

Premier Research was established in North Carolina with the vision of providing a fresh approach to clinical research. Since then, the company has expanded its operations to 75 countries around the world. While its headquarters are in the United States, the organization has a significant presence in Europe, Asia, and Australia. Their comprehensive array of clinical research services includes clinical trial management, medical affairs, regulatory affairs, and pharmacovigilance, among others.

The Oncology & Hematology CRO unit at Premier has experience running global oncology clinical trials for various types of cancer, including but not limited to lung, breast, colorectal, and melanoma. Their expertise in this field of medical research is evidenced by the following accomplishments:  

• 194 projects completed in the past five years, including multiple rare cancer and cell and gene therapy studies 
• Expertise ranging from small dose-finding studies to large multinational trials 
• Offers cross-functional, customized solutions to drive innovation in precision medicine, emerging therapies, and immuno-oncology 

 

6. PPD (Part of Thermo Fisher Scientific)

Founded: 1985 

Headquarters: Wilmington, North Carolina 

PPD is the clinical research business operated under Thermo Fisher Scientific, and over nearly 40 years, it has become a world-class CRO delivering comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory, and lifecycle management services. The services offered by this company range from early development services, Phase I-IV clinical trial management, laboratory services, post-approval research, regulatory consulting, to pharmacovigilance. PPD works across a broad spectrum of disease focus areas, but what truly distinguishes it is its profound work in oncology.  

Their Oncology & Hematology CRO has a number of accomplishments: 

• Supported 34 oncology drug approvals in the US and 25 EMEA approvals in the past five years 
• Over 750 cancer clinical trials conducted
• More than 175,000 patients involved
• 35,000 investigative sites active around the globe across more than 90 countries 

PPD offers its clients a comprehensive suite of end-to-end oncology capabilities, such as next-generation sequencing, real-world data studies, FSP solutions, laboratory services, and more. 

 

7. Theradex’s Oncology CRO

Founded: 1982 

Headquarters: Princeton, New Jersey  

Theradex Oncology is a globally recognized mid-sized CRO that was established with the award of the Clinical Trials Monitoring Service contract in 1982 for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the US. This contract enables Theradex to provide central data management and monitoring services for all early-phase cancer clinical trials sponsored by the NCI. The company has a broad focus in the field of oncology, working on a diverse range of cancers, including but not limited to lung, breast, colorectal, and hematologic malignancies. Theradex operates in numerous regions across the world, including North America, Europe, and Asia, offering sponsors services such as clinical data management, clinical monitoring, pharmacovigilance, project management, regulatory consulting and support, and more. The company has since amassed over 40 years of experience in conducting quality oncology clinical trials spanning from Phase I to IV of development. 

 

8. Parexel’s Oncology CRO

Founded: 1982 

Headquarters: Durham, North Carolina  

Since its inception, Parexel has grown into a global enterprise that now serves clients in regions across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Parexel currently operates out of more than 60 offices worldwide, providing the full range of Phase I to IV clinical development services. The company has also developed a proprietary technology platform, known as Calyx, which integrates Clinical Trial Management Systems (CTMS), Electronic Data Capture (EDC), Interactive Response Technology (IRT), and Regulatory Information Management (RIM) solutions. Parexel also offers its clients solutions such as portfolio management and asset valuation, early development and innovation, integrated clinical development, and approval and access support.  

Parexel provides expertise in three cross-therapeutic indications and five major therapeutic areas, most notably oncology and cell and gene therapies. The company’s Oncology CRO boasts the following achievements in furthering cancer research globally:

• Their Oncology Center of Excellence includes more than 80 ex-agency regulators from FDA, EMA, and NMPA, among other bodies
• Over 530 oncology clinical trial projects conducted in the last five years
• More than 138,200 patients enrolled across 27,000 sites worldwide in the last five years
• An oncology team of more than 1,000 professionals, including 45 physicians with oncology expertise
• 220 solid tumor experienced sites are part of the Parexel Site Alliance network 

 

9. Medelis

Founded: 2003 

Headquarters: Thompson Station, Tennessee 

Medelis is a specialty oncology CRO focused on Phase I through Phase III oncology clinical trials; although it also covers therapeutic areas such as dental, nephrology, medical device and diagnostics, and neurology and CNS. Their team consists of thought leaders in oncology drug development, who hold a deep understanding of personalized medicine and threshold of credibility trials. One of the unique features of a niche CRO like Medelis is its operational expertise, made up of highly experienced staff who have proven experience in oncology studies. As a result, the company has been a pioneer in immunotherapy studies since 2008, running numerous CAR T-cell therapy studies, checkpoint inhibitor studies, and bispecific antibody treatment studies. Medelis has excelled in its oncology clinical trials by ensuring sponsors have access to the right patients by leveraging their extensive investigator relationships to launch studies quickly. Another key advantage offered by Medelis as a smaller specialized CRO is its ability to take a partnership approach, wherein the client’s needs and their team are prioritized above all else. 

Medelis boasts extensive first-hand experience with the complexities often associated with cancer clinical trials, whether it’s a standard dose-escalation Phase I trial or a complex rescue of a Phase III trial. 

• 96% of projects on budget 
• 91% of projects completed on time 
• Their team has managed Phase I through Phase IIIs across the US, Canada, and Europe 
• They have handled most targets within oncology 

 

10. Ergomed Oncology CRO 

Founded: 1997 

Headquarters: Surrey, United Kingdom 

Ergomed was originally founded in Guildford, United Kingdom, and has since made significant strides to become a global mid-sized CRO today with a strong presence across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. With a global footprint covering over 100 countries, Ergomed has provided clinical development, trial management, and pharmacovigilance services for more than 300 clients, from top 10 pharmaceutical organizations to small and mid-sized companies. This CRO specializes in a few different therapeutic areas, such as oncology, rare disease, neurology and CNS, and allergy and respiratory. However, 40% of Ergomed’s entire clinical trial portfolio falls within hematology and oncology, primarily in early-phase trials. In 2020, Ergomed strengthened its oncology capabilities by acquiring MedSource, a full-service CRO with over 20 years of clinical trial experience and a portfolio of more than 200 oncology and rare disease studies.  

The company’s accomplishments: 

• Over 470 oncology clinical trials conducted 
• Each member of their project management team holds more than 15 years of clinical trial experience 
• Expertise in complex cancer clinical trials, including umbrella/basket or adaptive trials 

 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, the field of oncology continues to advance at a rapid pace, driven largely in part by the critical work of these top 10 oncology CROs. From large multinational companies to specialized mid-sized organizations, these companies play an integral role in the development and testing of novel cancer treatments. As the demand for innovative cancer treatments continues to grow in the future, these CROs are well-positioned for strong market growth and will continue to make substantial contributions to oncology research and drug development. 

 

About TFS HealthScience CRO 

TFS HealthScience is a global mid-size CRO with an established foothold in oncology and hematology clinical research. Our team of clinical experts support biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies throughout their entire clinical development journey with oncology clinical trials. Visit our Oncology & Hematology CRO website to learn more about the expertise TFS can offer for your next cancer clinical trial, or connect with a TFS representative today!