OMERACT

What OMERACT does

OMERACT (Outcome Measures in Rheumatology) is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization founded in 1992 and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, that develops consensus-based Core Outcome Sets (COS) for clinical trials in rheumatology and musculoskeletal diseases. Its core methodology is codified in the OMERACT Handbook and operationalized through proprietary frameworks — the OMERACT Filter 2.3 (Truth, Discrimination, Feasibility), OFISA, the OMERACT Onion, and the Core Domain Set Development Pathway — supported by standardized templates such as the SOMP table and processes including Delphi studies and nominal group technique. OMERACT has endorsed Core Outcome Sets for 17+ conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and psoriatic arthritis, with over 100 active working groups spanning disease-specific, domain-specific, imaging/biomarker, methods, and bolt-on categories. Distribution occurs primarily through biennial international conferences, the OMER-ED online learning portal, downloadable forms and checklists, a comprehensive glossary, community forums, and 30+ years of conference publications.

OMERACT generates revenue through two primary streams: biennial conference registration fees (tiered from $1,000/day to $3,475 USD all-inclusive, with reduced rates for Fellows, Patient Research Partners, and LMIC participants) and industry sponsorship via the Business Advisory Committee, where pharmaceutical and biotech partners fund activities in exchange for access to consensus processes. The organization is governed by a Management Group chaired by Peter Tugwell, with co-chairs including Zahi Touma (Methods), Lee S. Simon (Finance/BAC), Catherine Hofstetter (Patient Research Partner Engagement), and Philip Conaghan (Deputy Chair), and is supported by three advisory bodies (BAC, Technical Advisory Group, Strategic Advisory Group) plus a Future Leaders pipeline. Its community-led go-to-market reaches clinical researchers, rheumatologists, Patient Research Partners, regulatory scientists, and industry partners across six continents, with formal adoption of OMERACT-endorsed sets by the FDA and EMA serving as the primary regulatory anchor for its methodology franchise.

Name

OMERACT

Legal name

OMERACT

Website

https://omeract.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

OMERACT is a volunteer-driven, not-for-profit organization founded in 1992 that develops consensus-based Core Outcome Sets for rheumatology clinical trials, serving researchers, clinicians, patients, regulators, and industry across six continents through biennial conferences and codified methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Methodology (Rheumatology Outcome Measurement)

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomarker Discovery & Validation (omics, assay feasibility, clinical validation) (HLAAAMAA)

Keywords

• Rheumatology outcome measurement
• Core outcome sets
• Clinical research methodology
• Consensus development methods
• Medical education resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conference Registration Fees: OMERACT generates revenue through conference registration fees. The OMERACT 2027 conference offers various registration tiers: Early Registration at $2,975 USD (Nov 2026 - Feb 2027), Standard Registration at $3,475 USD (Mar - May 2027), Shared Room Option at $2,725 USD, Off-Site Registration at $2,300 USD, Day Registration at $1,000 USD per day, and Guest Registration at $1,000 USD. Special reduced rates are available for Fellows, Emerging Leaders, Patient Research Partners ($2,975 USD), and Low- and Middle-Income Countries ($2,475 USD).
2. Industry Sponsorship: The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) involves pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry partners who provide sponsorship. The BAC Sponsorship Prospectus 2026 outlines sponsorship levels, and industry partners gain access to OMERACT activities and input into consensus on outcome measures in rheumatology. Industry partners participate through the BAC and contribute to funding OMERACT's activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

OMERACT develops and disseminates Core Outcome Sets (COS), consensus-driven methodologies, and standardized outcome measurement instruments for use in rheumatology clinical trials. It delivers educational resources, including the OMERACT Handbook and the OMER-ED online learning platform, and convenes a recurring international conference series supported by disease-specific Working Groups operating across six continents.

Product overview

OMERACT is a global, volunteer-driven not-for-profit organization that offers a comprehensive suite of products and services for advancing outcome measurement in rheumatology. The core offering centers on the OMERACT Handbook as the definitive methodology guide and OMERACT Working Groups that develop disease-specific and domain-specific Core Outcome Sets. Supporting products include the OMER-ED e-learning platform providing interactive online modules, downloadable forms and checklists for researchers, a comprehensive glossary of standardized terms, conference publications spanning over 30 years, and community forums for consensus discussions. The biennial OMERACT Conferences serve as the primary forum for international collaboration and endorsement activities. Together, these offerings provide a structured pathway from core outcome set development through instrument selection to final endorsement and implementation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core Outcome Sets (COS)

Quantifiable outcome

• OMERACT has developed and endorsed Core Outcome Sets for over 17 disease-specific conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Psoriatic Arthritis, and others.
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• CDISC: The Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium develops data standards (CDASH, SDTM, ADaM) for clinical trial submissions. CDISC is an enabling/adjacent standards body whose outputs interact with OMERACT's instruments when trials using OMERACT COS are standardized for FDA submission.
• Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group: The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Review Group produces systematic reviews of rheumatology interventions and is coordinated-edited from OMERACT leadership (Peter Tugwell serves as Coordinating Editor). It is an evidence-synthesis peer that operationalizes the need for standardized outcomes OMERACT develops.

Direct peers

• ISOQOL: The International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) advances health-related quality of life research, including the science of PRO instrument development. It is a sister scientific society whose members overlap heavily with OMERACT's clinical-researcher community and which publishes complementary methodology on outcome measurement.
• COMET Initiative: The COMET (Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials) Initiative is a UK-based, methodologist-led effort to develop Core Outcome Sets across all medical specialties. It is the closest functional peer to OMERACT, applying the same consensus-driven COS methodology but at a cross-disease scope, and frequently cites OMERACT as a model.
• COSMIN: The COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) initiative, hosted at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam, develops methodology for evaluating the measurement properties of patient-reported outcome instruments. COSMIN's instrument-quality framework directly complements OMERACT's Filter 2.3 / OFISA, and the two are often cited together in COS development.
• ICHOM: The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) develops standardized outcome sets for value-based care, including several rheumatology-focused Standard Sets. ICHOM competes in the same standards-setting space as OMERACT but is tilted toward routine clinical measurement rather than clinical trials.

Broad incumbents

• American College of Rheumatology (ACR): The American College of Rheumatology is the dominant US rheumatology professional society that develops disease classification criteria and treatment guidelines, often drawing on OMERACT-endorsed endpoints. ACR is a broader-mandate peer whose portfolio extends well beyond outcome measurement.
• EULAR: The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) is the leading European professional society for rheumatology. It co-publishes recommendations that frequently incorporate OMERACT-endorsed outcome sets, making EULAR a broad incumbent collaborator rather than direct competitor on methodology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJ71L3r4QKoCBa-AyP8mk2Q
• Xx.com/OMERACT
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/omeract

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about OMERACT