CenterWatch reports that the fragmented US investigative site market is poised for acquisitions that may be driven by the most unlikely of sources: large European site management organizations (SMOs). The report, released in the January issue of 

, provides an in-depth look at the infrastructure and strategies of the European companies likely to drive this wave of consolidation. The report signals opportunity and change for clinical research professionals in the US.

US investigative sites experienced an intense period of consolidation in the mid-to-late 1990s.  At that time, venture-backed companies were on a buying spree to build large networks of physician investigators and standardize the management and conduct of industry-funded clinical trials.  Since 2004, however, nearly all SMOs in the US. have either exited the clinical research market or diversified into other business areas. The investigative site landscape in the US. has become more fragmented, comprised of several thousand small research centers and two dozen medium-sized regional networks of practicing physicians participating in clinical trials. 

CenterWatch now reports that a new type of SMO has been quietly growing in Europe, expanding into emerging regions including Latin America, India, and China during the late 2000s with ambitious plans to enter the US market in 2011.  The complete report can be found in 

, released today. Coverage includes detailed profiles of and interviews with the European SMOs driving this consolidation, and reaction from US clinical research professionals.

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