Master's Thesis from the year 2013 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 1,0, , language: English, abstract: This thesis deals in general with mergers & acquisitions in the CRO industry, and more specifically with reasons for M&A, success factors during the M&A process, and why M&A can fail in the Contract Research Organization industry. The pharmaceutical industry faces increasing obstacles in respect to the development and introduction of new medications. That has to do with stricter requirements for admission and sharper controls by authorities. Today, the research and development of a new drug can easily consume more than $800 million and lasting between 10 and 15 years. Due to these admission, money and time pressures, pharmaceutical companies are looking for an alternative in the drug development process. A very popular alternative is the outsourcing or in-house working with Contract Research Organizations (CRO). Contract Research Organizations are specialized in coordination and monitoring of drug development activities. Due to their focus they often offer a more sophisticated and faster process. Demographic changes, chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes, and completely new cluster of symptoms demand new therapeutically treatments. The size of the CRO market in 2012 was around $32 billion and had an estimated market growth of around 9 – 12% for 2013. Increased outsourcing and allocation of R&D money towards CRO reflects a driving force for prospective growth. To benefit from the good industry outlooks CROs adjust their service offerings and strengthen their competitive situation. More and more Contract Research Organizations consider mergers & acquisitions as a vital solution to achieve their objectives. Since couple of years we can observe an increased number of deals. Large corporations can close the gaps in the internal service pipeline and smaller firms can use mergers as a financial exit. However, many M&A activities are considered as ineffective and contra-productive for the shareholder value – either destroy or merely add. Depending on the study, the numbers of M&A failures vary from 50% to even 80%. Possible reasons may be not enough integration planning and unrealistic expectations on the cost and time. The reality shows that it is not that easy to cut costs by simple combining two departments after a merger or acquisition. Additionally, we can see that mergers and acquisitions basically not succeed during the actual process.[...]

This book deals in general with mergers & acquisitions in the CRO industry, and more specifically with reasons for M&A, success factors during the M&A process, and why M&A can fail in the Contract Research Organization industry. The pharmaceutical industry faces increasing obstacles in respect to the development and introduction of new medications. That has to do with stricter requirements for admission and sharper controls by authorities. Today, the research and development of a new drug can easily consume more than $800 million and lasting between 10 and 15 years. Due to these facts pharmaceutical companies are looking for an alternative in the drug development process. A popular alternative is the outsourcing or in-house working with Contract Research Organizations (CRO). CRO are specialized in coordination and monitoring of drug development activities. The size of the CRO market in 2012 was around $32 billion and had an estimated market growth of around 9 – 12% for 2013. Increased outsourcing and allocation of R&D money towards CRO reflects a driving force for prospective growth. Contract Research Organizations consider mergers & acquisitions as a vital solution to achieve their objectives.

In a business climate marked by escalating global competition and industry disruption, successful mergers and acquisitions are increasingly vital to the growth and profitability of many corporations. If history is any guide, 60 to 70 per cent of new mergers will fail – and will destroy shareholder value. To date, analyses of the M&A failure rate tend to focus on individual causes – e.g., culture clashes, valuation methods, or CEO overconfidence – rather than examining the problem holistically. The Value Killers is the first book based on a holistic analysis of successful and unsuccessful transactions. Based on research, interviews with top executives, and case studies, this book identifies the key causes of failures and successes and offers prescriptions to increase the odds that future transactions will deliver all the anticipated synergies. The Value Killers offers practical advice in the form of 5 Golden Rules. These rules will help managers and boards to ensure that target companies are properly valued; potential synergies and risks are identified in advance; checks and balances are installed to make sure that the pros and cons of the transaction are rationally and objectively evaluated; mechanisms are created that will trigger termination of bad deals; and obstacles to successful post-merger integrations are assessed (and solutions developed) before the deal closes. Each chapter includes questions for executives considering future M&As to allow them to see whether they are on the right track or not.

Perceptions that the pace of new-drug development has slowed and that the pharmaceutical industry is highly profitable have sparked concerns that significant problems loom for future drug development. This Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study-prepared at the request of the Senate Majority Leader-reviews basic facts about the drug industry's recent spending on research and development (R&D) and its output of new drugs. The study also examines issues relating to the costs of R&D, the federal government's role in pharmaceutical research, the performance of the pharmaceutical industry in developing innovative drugs, and the role of expected profits in private firms' decisions about investing in drug R&D. In keeping with CBO's mandate to provide objective, impartial analysis, the study makes no recommendations. David H. Austin prepared this report under the supervision of Joseph Kile and David Moore. Colin Baker provided valuable consultation...

Mergers and Productivity offers probing analyses of high-profile mergers in a variety of industries. Focusing on specific acquisitions, it illustrates the remarkable range of contingencies involved in any merger attempt. The authors clearly establish each merger's presumed objectives and the potential costs and benefits of the acquisition, and place it within the context of the broader industry. Striking conclusions that emerge from these case studies are that merger and acquisition activities were associated with technological or regulatory shocks, and that a merger's success or failure was dependent upon the acquirer's thorough understanding of the target, its corporate culture, and its workforce and wage structures prior to acquisition. Sifting through a wealth of carefully gathered evidence, these papers capture the richness, the complexity, and the economic intangibles inherent in contemporary merger activity in a way that large-scale studies of mergers cannot.

The long awaited second edition of Principles and Practice of Pharmaceutical Medicine provides an invaluable guide to all areas of drug development and medical aspects of marketing. The title has been extensively revised and expanded to include the latest regulatory and scientific developments. New chapters include: European Regulations Ethics of Pharmaceutical Medicine Licensing and Due Diligence Pharmacogenomics Encompassing the entire spectrum of pharmaceutical medicine, it is the most up-to-date international guide currently available. Review of the first edition: “This book was a joy to read and a joy to review. All pharmaceutical physicians should have a copy on their bookshelves, all pharmaceutical companies should have copies in their libraries.” —BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACEUTICAL PHYSICIANS

Choosing the right contract research organization (CRO) can make the difference between getting a product to market quickly and cost-effectively, and wasting valuable time and money. The vast number of available CROs is increasing all the time, and all of them make impressive claims. The Selection and Use of Contract Research Organizations is your