PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
PPD is the global clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, delivering full-service CRO capabilities across Phase I-IV trials, laboratory services, real-world evidence, and AI-enabled data platforms to pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and government clients worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWaltham, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific does
PPD is the clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, operating as a global full-service Contract Research Organization (CRO) that delivers end-to-end drug development services across Phase I-IV clinical trials, bioanalytical and central laboratory services, real-world evidence generation, and language solutions. Founded in 1985, PPD serves pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies as its primary customer base, alongside biotechnology firms, medical device manufacturers, government and public health organizations, and academic institutions, with named customers including Moderna, Novavax, Takeda, and argenx. The business operates from a Waltham, Massachusetts headquarters with 35,000+ employees across 45+ countries and clinical trial experience spanning more than 100 countries.
PPD's core technology platforms include Preclarus, an award-winning clinical trial data and analytics platform covering more than 180,000 investigator sites in over 100 countries and 5,000+ studies; TrueCast, an AI-powered predictive analytics engine trained on data from 26,000+ clinical trials and nearly 8 million patients; PPD OncoLocator providing treatment data for 25 cancers; and PPD Translate, an AI-enhanced language services platform supporting 300+ language pairs and 80,000+ projects per year. The Accelerator Drug Development platform integrates CRO and CDMO capabilities under the Thermo Fisher umbrella. Proprietary real-world evidence assets include the CorEvitas clinical registries (Alzheimer's, obesity, chronic hand eczema, dermatology, neurology) and Vestrum Health.
The business generates revenue primarily through professional services engagements priced on a project, FTE, unit-based, time-and-materials, or hybrid basis across full-service clinical development, Functional Service Partnership (FSP) models, laboratory services, and real-world evidence contracts. PPD was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2021 for approximately $17.4 billion and is now integrated within the parent's life sciences solutions segment; standalone revenue exceeded $4 billion in 2019 prior to acquisition.
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Legal name
- PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Website
- https://ppd.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- PPD is the global clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific, delivering full-service CRO capabilities across Phase I-IV trials, laboratory services, real-world evidence, and AI-enabled data platforms to pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and government clients worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contract Research Organization (CRO) Services
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Clinical Data Management, Biostatistics & Statistical Programming CROs (HLAGAAAF), Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL)
Keywords
Where PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Waltham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices11 records
Markets served
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Clinical Development Services: Full-service Phase I-IV clinical trial management including study design, protocol development, site management, monitoring, data management, biostatistics, and regulatory affairs.
- Laboratory Services: Comprehensive laboratory services including bioanalytical labs, central labs, GMP labs, biomarker solutions, vaccine sciences labs, and central laboratory services supporting clinical trials globally.
- Real-World Evidence and Health Economics: Evidence-based solutions including health economics models, market access, patient-centered research, observational studies, and real-world data registries (CorEvitas, Vestrum Health).
- Functional Service Partnership (FSP) Solutions: Flexible staffing and functional outsourcing models providing dedicated teams for specific functional areas including biostatistics, clinical data management, pharmacovigilance, regulatory affairs, project delivery, and feasibility.
- PPD Translate Solutions: Translation and localization services for clinical trials and pharmaceutical companies, supporting regulatory submissions, labeling, packaging, and multilingual clinical documentation.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PPD operates as a global Contract Research Organization (CRO) delivering end-to-end Phase I-IV clinical trial management, bioanalytical and central laboratory services, real-world evidence generation, health economics and market access support, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, and translation services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic, and government clients. The business combines proprietary data and analytics platforms (Preclarus, TrueCast, PPD Translate) with a global site network spanning 45+ countries, and integrates with Thermo Fisher Scientific's CDMO capabilities through the Accelerator Drug Development platform.
Product overview
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific operates as a comprehensive CRO solutions provider offering integrated drug development services across the pharmaceutical development lifecycle. The portfolio combines the core Preclarus data and analytics platform with specialized solutions including PPD CorEvitas real-world evidence registries (Clinical Registries, Precision Medicine, Vestrum Health), PPD Translate language services, and PPD Evidera health economics and market access capabilities. Laboratory services encompass bioanalytical, central, GMP, vaccine sciences, and biomarker labs. Clinical services span Phase I-IV trial management, pharmacovigilance, biostatistics, regulatory affairs, and real-world evidence generation. Delivery models include traditional full-service CRO, Functional Service Partnership (FSP) solutions, and biotech-specific solutions, all supported by AI-powered digital tools including Clinical Decision Suite and Clinical Trial Forecasting Suite. The integrated Accelerator Drug Development platform combines CRO and CDMO capabilities for seamless development-to-manufacturing pathways.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PPD CorEvitas: Regulatory-grade real-world evidence registry and data solutions
- PPD Evidera
- PPD Translate
- Preclarus
- Accelerator Drug Development
- PPD-SNBL
Products and services
- Preclarus
- PPD Translate Solutions
- PPD CorEvitas Clinical Registries
- Accelerator Drug Development
- PPD Bioanalytical Lab
- PPD Central Lab
- PPD GMP Lab
- PPD Vaccine Sciences Lab
- PPD Biomarker Lab
- PPD FSP (Functional Service Partnership) Solutions
- PPD Biotech Solutions
- PPD Patient First Digital Solutions
- PPD CorEvitas Precision Medicine
- PPD Vestrum Health Real-World Data
- Clinical Decision Suite
- Clinical Trial Forecasting Suite
- PPD Evidera Health Economics
- PPD Evidera Market Access
- PPD Evidera Patient-Centered Research
- PPD Evidera Implementation Science
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced placebo response by up to 22% when site personnel and subjects are properly trained
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability12 records
Feature6 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- HealthVeritycorePPD collaborated with HealthVerity in April 2026 to expand real-world data capabilities. The collaboration enhances PPD's ability to access and integrate diverse real-world data sources for clinical research and evidence generation.
- DatavantcoreThermo Fisher Scientific expanded real-world data interoperability and linkage through strategic collaboration with Datavant in February 2026. This partnership strengthens data connectivity capabilities for PPD's real-world evidence services.
- CorEvitascoreThermo Fisher Scientific acquired CorEvitas in 2023, establishing PPD as a leading provider of regulatory-grade, real-world evidence for approved medical treatments and therapies. CorEvitas provides clinical registries and real-world data supporting post-market surveillance and evidence generation.
- PPD-SNBL (Shin Nihon) Joint VenturecorePPD formed PPD-SNBL joint venture in 2014 with Shin Nihon (now part of SNBL) to provide full range of clinical development services in Japan. PPD-SNBL is one of the largest clinical development service providers in Japan.
- One Tree PlantedminorPPD partners with One Tree Planted, a nonprofit focused on global reforestation, to plant a tree for every patient enrolled at one of PPD's sites. Partnership supports environmental sustainability and carbon sequestration initiatives.
- Pistoia AllianceminorPPD engages with the Pistoia Alliance in a cross-industry partnership to understand activity-based models to reduce carbon footprint in clinical trials.
- United Airlines Eco-Skies AllianceminorPPD partners with United Airlines Eco-Skies Alliance supporting the use of aviation biofuel and sustainable travel options for clinical trial operations.
- TakedaminorPPD entered a research collaboration with Takeda for preclinical research as mentioned in market developments.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Syneos Health: Now private (Elliott/Veritas/Patient Square), Syneos is a biopharma solutions organization offering clinical development and commercialization services. It is a comparable full-service CRO competing for both pharma and biotech trials.
- Parexel International: Private-equity-owned global CRO (EQT/Goldman Sachs) offering biopharma clinical development, real-world evidence, and regulatory services. Competes with PPD across enterprise pharma and biotech accounts.
- ICON plc: Post-PRA Health Sciences acquisition, ICON is one of the two largest pure-play CROs globally, with comparable Phase I-IV, labs, FSP and biotech offerings. It competes head-to-head with PPD for large pharma and biotech mandates.
- Fortrea: Spun out from Labcorp as its clinical development and commercialization services business. Fortrea offers Phase I-IV CRO services, central labs and patient access, competing with PPD across most enterprise clinical development categories.
- Medpace Holdings: A faster-growing, mid-sized full-service CRO focused primarily on small and mid-sized biotech sponsors. Medpace competes with PPD's biotech solutions and FSP businesses, particularly in oncology and rare disease trials.
- IQVIA: The largest global CRO and clinical technology provider, offering full-service clinical development, real-world evidence, and analytics. IQVIA is PPD's most direct full-service competitor across Phase I-IV trials, labs, and data-driven trial design.
- Charles River Laboratories: Provides preclinical and clinical CRO services plus manufacturing support. Overlaps with PPD in clinical development and adjacent lab/CDMO services, particularly for early-phase and safety assessment work.
Broad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific (CDMO / PPD parent): PPD's parent company, whose pharma services segment (Patheon CDMO, clinical packaging, bioanalytical labs) provides integrated CDMO and analytical services that complement PPD's CRO offerings through the Accelerator Drug Development platform.
Emerging players
- Labcorp (Central Labs & Early Development): Retained central lab and early development business after the Fortrea spin. Competes with PPD's bioanalytical and central laboratory services for clinical-trial sample testing and specialty lab work.
Regional players
- WuXi AppTec / WuXi Clinical: China-headquartered CRO/CDMO with growing global clinical development footprint. Competes with PPD on cost-competitive Asia-based trial conduct and lab services, particularly for sponsors with significant China trial programs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific social profiles
Digital presencePPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries8 records
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A9 records
Investments8 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
What does PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific do?
PPD operates as a global Contract Research Organization (CRO) delivering end-to-end Phase I-IV clinical trial management, bioanalytical and central laboratory services, real-world evidence generation, health economics and market access support, regulatory affairs, pharmacovigilance, and translation services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic, and government clients. The business combines proprietary data and analytics platforms (Preclarus, TrueCast, PPD Translate) with a global site network spanning 45+ countries, and integrates with Thermo Fisher Scientific's CDMO capabilities through the Accelerator Drug Development platform.
Is PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific a public or private company?
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific founded?
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific was founded in 1985. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific based?
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific is headquartered in Waltham, United States, in the North America region.
How does PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Clinical Development Services are the primary driver. The others are laboratory Services, real-World Evidence and Health Economics, functional Service Partnership (FSP) Solutions and PPD Translate Solutions.
Who are PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Syneos Health, Parexel International, ICON plc, Fortrea, Medpace Holdings, IQVIA and Charles River Laboratories. Thermo Fisher Scientific (CDMO / PPD parent) is listed as a broad incumbent. Labcorp (Central Labs & Early Development) is listed as an emerging player. WuXi AppTec / WuXi Clinical is listed as a regional player.
Does PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific have an API?
No public API is recorded for PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific.
What industry is PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific in?
PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific's product category is Contract Research Organization (CRO) Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAAAA, Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV), with a secondary code of HLAGAAAF, Clinical Data Management, Biostatistics & Statistical Programming CROs. Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.