In Vivo CRO Market Size and Trends

The global in vivo CRO market is estimated to be valued at USD 4.70 Bn in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 8.31 Bn by 2031, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% from 2024 to 2031.

In Vivo CRO Market Key Factors

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The global in vivo CRO market has been witnessing significant growth over the past few years. Rising investments in R&D activities by biopharmaceutical companies and increasing outsourcing of preclinical studies are driving the market growth. Moreover, the growing complexity of diseases and development of novel molecules has raised the need for efficient preclinical testing. CROs, Contract research organization provide end-to-end services for preclinical studies which help pharmaceutical companies focus on their core areas. Furthermore, capabilities of CROs to conduct preclinical studies within stipulated timelines and budgets while maintaining high quality standards is also fueling their adoption rate. However, high costs associated with preclinical animal research may hamper the market growth to some extent over the forecast period.

Increasing investment in research and development activities

Increasing research activities devoted towards the advancement of healthcare is positively impacting the growth of the global in vivo contract research organization market. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are augmenting their investments in R&D to develop novel therapies and treatment options for chronic and life-threatening diseases. This has led to the rising demand for outsourcing preclinical research studies to specialty contract research organizations. CROs with in vivo facilities offer tailor-made research services spanning across discovery, preclinical, and translational stages of drug development. Their core competencies include disease modeling, target validation, efficacy, and safety testing using animals and advanced analytical techniques. Outsourcing to expert CROs allows drug developers to stay agile while focusing on internal resources on later phase trials and commercialization. It also helps them mitigate regulatory risks and cost burdens associated with developing in-house research infrastructure and hiring specialized workforce. For instance, in November 2021, Merck & Co. Inc., a multinational pharmaceutical company, finalized an agreement to purchase Velosbio Inc., a privately-held clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm focused on pioneering cancer treatments aimed at receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 1 (ROR1). Likewise, in March 2021, Johnson & Johnson, a global pharmaceutical company, was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the U.S. FDA for JNJ-61186372 (JNJ-6372) for treating patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Globalization of Clinical Trials

With growing patient populations and disease burdens in emerging markets, drug developers are seeking to enroll more trial subjects and complete studies faster. This has led to the rapid globalization of clinical trial landscape over the past decade. Companies now conduct a significant portion of their clinical trials outside traditional hubs in the U.S. and Europe. Countries across Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa now contribute sizeable shares to global trials. For e.g., over 60% of trials in 2020 recruited at least one subject outside U.S. and Europe combined. This trend is mostly driven by advantages like the availability of treatment naïve patients, lower costs, and quicker site initiation in these regions. However, conducting trials internationally also poses several operational and regulatory challenges. Variations exist in local ethical and biosafety norms, documentation requirements, and standards of care. Sponsors require experienced partners to navigate these complexities smoothly across global sites.