Contract Research Organization – A Simple Explanation

A contract research organization, sometimes also referred to as a clinical research organization, or CRO is basically a company that helps conduct research for a sponsor company. This research can be anything from pre-clinical development of new products to post marketing research activities.

With more drug makers outsourcing more trials to contract research organizations, few should be surprised that the CRO sector is generating investor interest. The attention-grabbing deal in which two private equity firms – Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman – agreed to pay $3.9 billion in cash to buy Pharmaceutical Product Development is no random bet.

Another company going from strength to strength in this field is Cerca Insights, a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) specialising in behavioural pharmacology. Based in Penang, Malaysia, they are dedicated to helping their customers focus on delivering world-class services.

These services cover a wide range of behavioral pharmacology paradigms:

• Phenotyping new rodent models
• Early behavioral SAR studies
• Identifying & optimizing leads
• Targeting validation programs
• PK screens and PK/PD analysis
• Secondary behavioral and toxicological evaluations
• Aging studies and chronic dosing

Their value pricing and international management means they deliver value.