Ora

What Ora does

Ora (Ora LLC) is a privately held, ophthalmology-exclusive contract research organization (CRO) founded in 1974 by Dr. Mark Abelson and headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts. The company delivers end-to-end clinical research services — preclinical and Pre-IND consulting through Phase 1–4 trials, regulatory strategy, safety monitoring, data management and biostatistics — for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device sponsors developing ophthalmic therapies across five therapeutic areas (Retina & Macular, Glaucoma & Optic Neuropathies, Cornea & Ocular Surface, Cataract & Refractive, Inflammatory & Autoimmune). Across 50+ years Ora has completed more than 3,000 clinical ophthalmology projects and supported 90+ product approvals for sponsors including Regeneron, Novartis, Astellas, Takeda (Shire), Mallinckrodt, Rayner, Nicox, and Stealth BioTherapeutics.

The core technology stack combines a portfolio of FDA-accepted proprietary clinical endpoints — Ora CAE (controlled adverse environment for dry eye), Ora-VNC (visual navigation challenge for inherited retinal diseases), Ora-CAC (conjunctival allergen challenge for anti-allergy), MD Slope (visual field mean deviation for glaucoma), IVAD, and OPI 2.0 — with the OraNet™ site network of 1,000+ research sites across 45+ countries. Ora pairs these with industry platforms (Veeva Vault for CTMS; iMedNet and Medidata Rave for EDC/IRT; SDC Insights for cross-platform analytics) and a "Block Enrollment" methodology that has demonstrated 35% enrollment-timeline reductions in cornea studies.

Ora makes money as a professional-services CRO via negotiated, multi-year full-service contracts with enterprise sponsors; pricing is quote-based per study and varies by therapeutic area, phase, geography, and scope. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales led by a Chief Commercial Officer with 25+ years of CRO experience, supported by a senior leadership team drawn from Tier-1 CROs (PPD, ICON, Thermo Fisher). In July 2024 Ora was recapitalized by The Vistria Group to fund global expansion, and the company has since added offices in India, Brazil, Colombia, and other markets while appointing a new CCO and Chairman of the Board.

Name

Ora

Legal name

Ora LLC

Website

https://oraclinical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ora is an ophthalmology-exclusive clinical research organization (CRO) providing end-to-end trial services, proprietary FDA-accepted endpoints, and a 1,000+ site global network (OraNet) to pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical-device sponsors developing eye therapies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmic Contract Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic clinical research
• Contract research organization
• Endpoint technologies
• Ophthalmology drug development
• Clinical trial services

Headquarters

HQ city

Andover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Clinical Research Services: Full-service CRO providing end-to-end clinical trial services for ophthalmology including site solutions, safety monitoring, data management, biostatistics, regulatory affairs, and proprietary endpoint technologies. Services span preclinical through phase 4 trials for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ora is a full-service contract research organization (CRO) exclusively focused on ophthalmology. It provides clinical trial execution services, proprietary endpoint assessment technologies, and a dedicated investigator site network for pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies developing treatments across retinal, glaucoma, cornea, cataract, and inflammatory ocular therapeutic areas.

Product overview

Ora is an ophthalmology-exclusive clinical research organization (CRO) offering a comprehensive suite of services for drug and device development across five therapeutic areas: Retina & Macular Diseases, Glaucoma & Optic Neuropathies, Cornea & Ocular Surface, Cataract & Refractive, and Inflammatory & Autoimmune. The company's core offering is built around its proprietary OraNet™ site network of 1,000+ research sites globally and its portfolio of endpoint technologies including Ora-VNC™ (visual navigation challenge for IRDs), Ora CAE® (controlled adverse environment for dry eye), Ora-CAC® (allergen challenge for allergy), Ora EyeCup™ (data capture), IVAD, and OPI 2.0©. Ora provides end-to-end services from preclinical/Pre-IND consulting through Phase 1-4 clinical trials, encompassing regulatory strategy, site solutions, safety monitoring, data & biostatistics, and clinical tools leveraging Veeva Vault and EDC platforms (iMedNet, Medidata). The company claims 85+ product approvals to date and 50+ years of ophthalmology expertise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Execution Services Full-service clinical trial management and execution for ophthalmology drug and device development programs, serving pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device sponsors across all phases of clinical research.
• OraNet Dedicated investigator site network for conducting ophthalmic clinical trials, providing access to specialized clinical sites and patient populations across multiple ocular therapeutic areas.
• Ora-VNC Proprietary visual function endpoint assessment technology used in ophthalmology clinical trials to evaluate visual acuity and related endpoints.
• Ora CAE Clinical assessment endpoint technology developed for ophthalmology trials.
• Ora-CAC Clinical assessment endpoint technology for ophthalmology clinical trials.
• Ora EyeCup Imaging and assessment tool used in ophthalmology clinical research for capturing ocular endpoints.
• IVAD Imaging technology for ophthalmology clinical trial endpoints.
• OPI 2.0 Ocular pressure assessment technology used in glaucoma and other ophthalmology clinical trials.
• MD Slope Disease progression metric used in ophthalmology clinical trials, particularly relevant for macular degeneration studies.
• Lissamine Green Staining Diagnostic staining technique used in ophthalmology clinical trials for ocular surface assessment.
• Block Enrollment Patient recruitment and enrollment service that ensures rapid and reliable enrollment for ophthalmology clinical trials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enrolled almost 20,000 patients in the last 5 years
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Academy of Music for the BlindminorOthersOra partners with the Academy of Music for the Blind (AMB) through The Blind Canvas Project, a purpose-driven initiative shining light on the human experience of blindness. AMB is the only year-round institution exclusively devoted to comprehensive music education for blind youth.
• EyeceleratorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOra partnered with Eyecelerator and Unither Pharmaceuticals for a web series on transforming ophthalmic innovation into market-ready therapies, showcasing expertise and connecting with innovators in the space.
• Macular SocietyminorOthersEuropean patient advocacy collaboration supporting enrollment optimization and patient engagement for retinal disease clinical trials.
• Retina UKminorOthersEuropean patient advocacy collaboration for retinal disease research support and patient recruitment optimization.
• FEDE (Spain)minorOthersSpanish federation partnership for patient advocacy and clinical trial enrollment support.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ora-inc
• Xx.com/oraclinical

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ora