U.S. 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 U.S. have either exited the clinical research market or diversified into other business areas. The investigative site landscape in the U.S. 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 U.S. market in 2011. The complete report can be found in The CenterWatch Monthly, released today. Coverage includes detailed profiles of and interviews with the European SMOs driving this consolidation, and reaction from U.S. clinical research professionals.

The CenterWatch Monthly is an in-depth newsletter covering the clinical trials industry, offering professionals at investigative sites, CROs and drug sponsors the latest news, trends and grant opportunities.