What is a CRO and How Can They Help in Clinical Trials?

Posted on 30th September 2022

A contract research organization, or CRO, is a vital part of the biotech, medical device and pharma industries. When it comes to carrying out clinical trials, working with a CRO can be an extremely cost-effective way of ensuring you have access to the required expertise and experience. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at what CROs do and how they can help companies conducting clinical trials.

What Is a CRO?

A contract research organization, or CRO, is a company that provides services related to clinical research. These services can include anything from pre-clinical research (which takes place before human trials) to post-marketing surveillance (which takes place after a product has been approved for use). In many cases, CROs will also be involved in the actual conduct of clinical trials.

There are a number of reasons why companies might choose to work with a CRO. Firstly, it can be an extremely cost-effective way of accessing the expertise and experience needed to carry out clinical research. Secondly, working with a CRO can help to reduce the time taken to bring a product to market. And finally, CROs can provide access to a global network of clinical research sites.

Types of CROs

There are two main types of CROs:

1- Full-service CROs offer a comprehensive range of services, from pre-clinical research through to post-marketing surveillance.

2- Specialty CROs, on the other hand, tend to focus on a specific area of clinical research. For example, there are CROs that specialize in conducting clinical trials in rare disease indications.

How a CRO Accelerates Clinical Development

There are a number of ways in which working with a CRO can help to accelerate the clinical development process.

Firstly, CROs have access to a large network of clinical research sites. This means that they can quickly identify suitable sites for clinical trials.

Secondly, CROs are able to manage the administrative aspects of clinical trials, freeing up companies to focus on the scientific aspects.

And finally, CROs have a team of experienced professionals who can provide expert advice and guidance on all aspects of clinical research.

Due to high prevalence in chronic diseases in European region the demand for clinical trials in the region has been increased which resulted in rise of CRO clinical trials in Europe.

The Europe clinical trials market size was valued at USD 12.2 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7% from 2022 to 2030. Clinical trials market in Europe has been growing rapidly. Looking at the current scenario, COVID-19 Pandemic is highly affecting the Clinical trials market in Europe.

What Does a CRO Do?

A CRO provides a wide range of services that support the clinical research process .These services can be divided into four main categories:

-Pre-clinical research: This includes services such as target identification and validation, animal studies and IND-enabling studies.

-Clinical trial management: This includes services such as site selection and feasibility, clinical monitoring, patient recruitment and retention.

-Data management: This includes services such as data entry, cleaning and analysis.

-Post-marketing surveillance: This includes services such as pharmacovigilance and risk management.

How to Choose a Good CRO

When it comes to choosing a CRO, there are a number of factors that need to be considered. Firstly, you need to think about the specific services that you require. As we mentioned earlier, there are full-service and specialty CROs. If you are conducting clinical research in a niche area, then you might need to work with a specialty CRO.

Secondly, you need to consider the size of the CRO. If you are conducting a large clinical trial, then you will need to work with a CRO that has the necessary resources and infrastructure in place. On the other hand, if you are conducting a small clinical trial, then you might be better off working with a smaller CRO.

And finally, you need to consider the location of the CRO. If you are conducting a global clinical trial, then you will need to work with a CRO that has a presence in multiple countries.

Working with a contract research organization can be an extremely effective way of conducting clinical research. CROs offer a wide range of services that can help to accelerate the clinical development process. When choosing a CRO, you need to consider the specific services that you require, the size of the CRO and the location of the CRO.