Quintiles Competitors, Marketcap, Revenue, Net Worth, 2025

Darius

12 years ago

Key Stats

Quintiles Transnational merged with IMS Health in October 2016 to form QuintilesIMS, later rebranded as IQVIA Holdings in 2017.

The merger created an entity valued at approximately 18 billion dollars, becoming the world’s largest pharmaceutical services provider.

Quintiles was founded in 1982 by Dennis Gillings, a professor of biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Before the merger, Quintiles operated in over 60 countries and was the largest contract research organization globally.

IQVIA, the successor company, reported revenues of 15.4 billion dollars in 2024 with operations spanning more than 100 countries.

Quintiles Transnational was a pioneering contract research organization that transformed pharmaceutical outsourcing services. Founded by Dennis Gillings in 1982, the company began as a small biostatistical consulting firm operating from a university trailer. Through strategic acquisitions and global expansion, Quintiles became the world’s largest provider of clinical trial services.

The company offered comprehensive product development, commercial services, and healthcare consulting to pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Its merger with IMS Health in 2016 created IQVIA Holdings, a dominant force in clinical research and healthcare analytics.

Quintiles Transnational History

1974

Dennis Gillings signed his first contract to provide statistical and data management consulting for pharmaceutical clients while teaching at UNC Chapel Hill.

1982

Quintiles was incorporated in North Carolina as a privately held company, moving from Trailer 39 at UNC with five full-time employees.

1990

The company established Quintiles Pacific Inc. and Quintiles Ireland Ltd., beginning its international expansion strategy.

1991

Quintiles GmbH was established in Germany, and Quintiles Laboratories Ltd. was created in Atlanta, Georgia, expanding contract clinical trial laboratory services.

1994

Quintiles completed its first initial public offering on NASDAQ, marking a significant milestone in corporate growth.

1996

The company acquired Innovex Ltd. and BRI International Inc., becoming the world’s largest contract research organization.

1997

Quintiles went public with a successful secondary stock offering, strengthening its financial position for continued expansion.

1998

Quintiles became the first company in the industry to exceed 1 billion dollars in net revenues, reaching 1.19 billion dollars.

1999

The company joined the S&P 500 Index, reflecting its status as a major pharmaceutical services provider.

2003

The Board of Directors agreed to merge with Pharma Services Holdings Inc., taking Quintiles private through a leveraged buyout.

2009

Quintiles opened new corporate headquarters in Durham, North Carolina, consolidating operations and supporting continued growth.

2010

The company opened new European headquarters in the UK and established operations in East Africa, expanding global reach.

2011

Quintiles acquired Advion Biosciences, a bioanalytical laboratory based in Ithaca, New York, enhancing laboratory capabilities.

2013

Quintiles filed for a second initial public offering and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol Q.

2016

Quintiles merged with IMS Health in a 9 billion dollar deal, creating QuintilesIMS with combined market value of approximately 18 billion dollars.

2017

QuintilesIMS adopted the new name IQVIA, combining I (IMS Health), Q (Quintiles), and VIA (by way of).

Quintiles Transnational Co-founders

Dennis Gillings, PhD, CBE

Dennis Gillings founded Quintiles in 1982 after teaching biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served as CEO for nearly 30 years, transforming a small consulting business into the world’s largest contract research organization before stepping down in 2012.

Quintiles Transnational Revenue

Quintiles Transnational experienced exponential revenue growth from its 1982 founding through the 2016 merger. The company broke the 1 billion dollar revenue milestone in 1998 and reached 4.2 billion dollars by 2014.

Quintiles Transnational Acquisitions

Quintiles Transnational pursued an aggressive acquisition strategy throughout its history, transforming from a specialized biostatistics firm into a comprehensive pharmaceutical services provider. The acquisition program began in earnest during the mid-1990s as the company sought to expand both service offerings and geographic reach.

The 1996 acquisitions of Innovex Ltd. and BRI International Inc. represented watershed moments in company history. Innovex, based in Marlow, England, was acquired for 747.5 million dollars in stock. This deal brought world-leading contract pharmaceutical sales and marketing capabilities. BRI International, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, specialized in regulatory compliance consulting and medical device development. These acquisitions catapulted Quintiles to the position of world’s largest contract research organization.

Also in 1996, Quintiles acquired The Lewin Group, a Fairfax-based healthcare policy research and consulting company, and PMC Contract Research AB in Uppsala, Sweden. These additions enhanced the company’s consulting capabilities and Scandinavian market presence. The company continued expanding through 1998 with acquisitions including Belgium’s Pharma Networks N.V., the Technology Assessment Group in San Francisco, Taiwan’s More Biomedical Contract Research Organization, and France’s T2A S.A.

The acquisition of Advion Biosciences in 2011 marked another significant expansion. This Ithaca-based bioanalytical laboratory strengthened Quintiles’ laboratory and analytical services capabilities. The Advion BioServices division brought cutting-edge bioanalytical contract research organization services to support pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug development programs. Following these strategic acquisitions, Quintiles possessed comprehensive capabilities spanning clinical trials, laboratory services, regulatory affairs, and commercial marketing.

The acquisition strategy culminated in the 2016 merger with IMS Health, the largest vendor of physician prescribing data. This 9 billion dollar transaction combined Quintiles’ clinical research expertise with IMS Health’s healthcare data and analytics capabilities, creating an integrated information and technology-enabled healthcare service provider serving the entire pharmaceutical product lifecycle.

Quintiles Transnational Marketcap

Quintiles Transnational maintained significant market capitalization during its public trading periods. After going public in 1994 on NASDAQ, the company’s valuation grew substantially. Following the 2013 return to public markets, Quintiles’ market capitalization expanded considerably before the 2016 merger.

Quintiles Transnational Competitors

Quintiles Transnational competed in the global contract research organization market against numerous pharmaceutical outsourcing services providers. The competitive landscape featured both large multinational organizations and specialized niche players across clinical development services.

Competitor	Headquarters	Specialization
Parexel International	Waltham, Massachusetts	Biopharmaceutical services and clinical trial management
Covance (LabCorp)	Princeton, New Jersey	Drug development and comprehensive laboratory services
ICON plc	Dublin, Ireland	Clinical research services and healthcare intelligence
PRA Health Sciences	Raleigh, North Carolina	Clinical development and data solutions
PPD Inc.	Wilmington, North Carolina	Clinical research services and laboratory services
Syneos Health	Morrisville, North Carolina	Biopharmaceutical solutions and commercial services
Charles River Laboratories	Wilmington, Massachusetts	Preclinical and clinical laboratory services
inVentiv Health	Burlington, Massachusetts	Commercialization and clinical development services

FAQs

What was Quintiles Transnational?

Quintiles Transnational was the world’s largest contract research organization, providing clinical trial services, pharmaceutical development, and commercial outsourcing to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies before merging with IMS Health in 2016.

Who founded Quintiles Transnational?

Dennis Gillings, a professor of biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, founded Quintiles in 1982. He served as CEO for nearly 30 years before transitioning to executive chairman.

When did Quintiles merge with IMS Health?

Quintiles merged with IMS Health in October 2016, creating QuintilesIMS valued at approximately 18 billion dollars. The combined company was renamed IQVIA Holdings in November 2017 to reflect both legacy organizations.

What services did Quintiles Transnational provide?

Quintiles provided comprehensive pharmaceutical outsourcing services including clinical trial management, biostatistics, data management, regulatory affairs, laboratory services, commercial sales, and healthcare consulting across the entire drug development lifecycle for clients in the healthcare industry.

Where was Quintiles Transnational headquartered?

Quintiles Transnational was headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. The company opened new corporate headquarters in Durham in 2009, consolidating operations while maintaining offices in over 60 countries worldwide to serve global pharmaceutical clients.