Parexel

Parexel is an American contract research organization (CRO) and one of the largest in the world, providing comprehensive clinical development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. Founded in 1982 in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Josef von Rickenbach and organic chemist Anne B. Sayigh — the name derived from the 16th century Swiss scientist Paracelsus — Parexel was originally established to advise Japanese and German pharmaceutical firms on US FDA drug approval processes. It expanded into full-service contract clinical research in 1986, went public on NASDAQ in 1995, and grew through more than 40 acquisitions over its history. By 2018, Parexel employed approximately 18,900 people across 100 countries. The company was taken private by Pamplona Capital Management in September 2017 for $5 billion and subsequently acquired by EQT Private Equity and Goldman Sachs Asset Management in November 2021 for $8.5 billion. Today Parexel is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, with 22,000+ employees across 84+ facilities in 49 countries and estimated annual revenues of approximately $3.8 billion. Its services span Phase I–IV clinical trials, regulatory strategy and submissions, market access consulting, real-world evidence, pharmacovigilance, biostatistics, medical communications, and the ParexelAI platform launched in partnership with Palantir Technologies in 2024.