In today’s ACT Brief, we examine why the future of AI in trials is a trusted orchestration system rather than a single model, how coordinators rate eSource-enabled workflows, and what a bipartisan bill proposes for reusable trial networks.
|Articles|January 17, 2020
Clarivate to Acquire DRG
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Clarivate Analytics plc has announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Decision Resources Group (“DRG”), a provider of data, analytics, and insights products and services to the healthcare industry, from Piramal Enterprises Limited, part of global business conglomerate Piramal Group. The $950 million purchase price–approximately 12x trailing DRG Adjusted EBITDA, taking into account acquisition cost synergies but not revenue synergies–includes $900 million in cash and approximately $50 million in Clarivate ordinary shares to be issued following the one-year anniversary of closing. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to Clarivate earnings in 2020.
DRG specializes in enabling the world’s pharma, biotech, and medical technology companies to achieve commercial success in complex health markets with the creation of effective patient-centric commercial strategies. Together, DRG and Clarivate will be well-positioned in the $19 billion Life Sciences analytics market, which currently is enjoying double-digit growth, to support customers across the entire drug, device and medical technology lifecycle from research to outcome. The combined business will offer a one-stop shop for Life Sciences customers, helping them to improve the commercialization of therapies.
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Standardized measurement across five oncology centers found that clinical research coordinators rated eSource-enabled workflows positively (Overall Mean Satisfaction 5.79 of 7), with reduced manual entry and electronic data transfer earning strong marks, while perceived reduction in sponsor and monitor queries lagged as the one domain below threshold.
In this video interview, Rajneesh Patil, global head of AI, digital, and innovation in clinical development at Syneos Health, describes the industry’s trajectory toward a unified intelligence orchestration environment—and explains why the future isn’t one model that knows everything, but a trusted system that brings the right evidence to the right human decision.
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In this video interview, Rajneesh Patil, global head of AI, digital, and innovation in clinical development at Syneos Health, argues that CROs must act as orchestrators rather than aggregators—and that the real test of any AI ecosystem is whether it reduces sponsor coordination burden or just hands it back to them.
Syneos Health and Optum outline a joint model for trial planning, recruitment and site access, with no financial terms or timelines disclosed.
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