Outsourcing is not a new concept to pharmaceutical companies

Outsourcing is not a new concept to pharmaceutical companies; however, its use increased dramatically in the mid-1990s, and it is expected to continue to increase going forward. It is estimated by 2004 nearly 42% of all pharmaceutical drug development expenditures will be committed to outsourcing, as compared to the 4% that was outsourced in the early-1990s. Some estimate that there are currently over 1,200 organizations involved in the clinical research, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology in-house clinical research, site management organizations (SMOs), academic medical centers, private research sites, and contract research organizations (CROs). Esploron www.esploron.com is one of such organizations.