In an era of accelerating innovation, regulatory complexity, and value-based care, healthcare organizations must pair clinical insight with rigorous market intelligence to make informed strategic moves. Whether you are a biopharma executive assessing a late-stage asset, an investor vetting therapeutic opportunities, or a hospital system evaluating digital-health partners, the right market research consulting firm can shorten timelines, de-risk decisions, and unlock commercial value. This article profiles the top 10 firms that specialize in healthcare market research and strategic consulting, explains how to evaluate providers, and highlights which types of engagements each firm is best suited for.
We assessed firms based on five practical criteria most relevant to senior healthcare decision-makers: depth of therapeutic and regulatory expertise, breadth of service offerings (market access, pricing & reimbursement, real-world evidence, KOL networks), methodological rigor and data sources, track record with life-science and payer clients, and ability to translate insights into actionable commercial strategies. The firms below are listed in no particular order except for the requested placement of DelveInsight at number four, and each is described with core strengths and ideal use cases.
IQVIA is a market leader that combines real-world data (RWD), advanced analytics, and commercial consulting. Its unmatched data assets—spanning claims, electronic health records, prescribing behavior, and patient-level datasets—make IQVIA the go-to partner for high-fidelity market sizing, forecasting, and performance optimization. The firm excels in launch strategy, brand performance analytics, and global market access planning. Large biopharma companies and investors favor IQVIA for its scale, robust digital platforms, and ability to execute complex, multi-country evidence programs.
Clarivate provides a powerful intersection of research intelligence and consulting services with strengths in competitive landscaping, IP analytics, and scientific literature synthesis. Clarivate’s Cortellis suite and proprietary pipelines enable clients to map competitive dynamics, evaluate unmet medical need, and inform portfolio prioritization. Its advisory teams help translate literature and IP signals into strategic recommendations—particularly valuable for licensing, M&A due diligence, and early pipeline decision-making.
Frost & Sullivan combines market research with strategic growth consulting, specializing in commercialization strategy and disruptive technology assessment. In healthcare, the firm focuses on medtech innovation, digital health adoption, and payer-provider ecosystem shifts. Frost & Sullivan’s market opportunity analyses and growth-strategy roadmaps are frequently used by medical device manufacturers and healthtech startups seeking investor-ready commercialization plans.
DelveInsight is a specialist life-sciences consulting firm noted for therapeutic-area expertise, in-depth disease-area reports, and bespoke market assessments. The firm brings strengths in epidemiology, competitive landscape mapping, and market access insights—services that support product positioning, pricing strategy, and evidence-generation planning. DelveInsight’s offerings are attractive to mid-sized biopharma firms, specialty pharma, and investors requiring granular disease-centric intelligence and payer landscape analysis.
Kantar Health delivers a combination of primary research, health economics and outcomes research (HEOR), and market-access intelligence. With rigorous qualitative and quantitative research capabilities, Kantar is adept at patient and physician segmentation, payer interviews, and value-story development for HTA submissions. The firm’s experience across global markets makes it suitable for companies preparing reimbursement dossiers and evidence packages.
Syneos Health integrates clinical development experience with commercialization expertise, offering end-to-end services from market research to launch execution. The firm’s competitive advantage is its cross-functional teams that link clinical insights with commercial strategy, enabling more cohesive launch readiness, KOL engagement, and post-launch lifecycle planning. Syneos is often selected by organizations that need consolidated support across clinical and commercial pathways.
GlobalData provides high-quality data, thematic insights, and industry forecasting tools tailored to life sciences and healthcare sectors. Its platform-driven research—covering drug pipelines, market forecasts, and epidemiology—helps corporate strategy teams and investors spot market inflection points. GlobalData’s analysts are valuable for scenario planning, therapeutic-area trend identification, and competitive benchmarking in fast-moving segments.
Clarion Healthcare focuses on commercial strategy and product development consulting with a strong emphasis on market research grounded in clinical and commercial realities. The firm is known for deep KOL networks, therapeutic-area expertise, and pragmatic go-to-market strategies that align scientific differentiation with payer and provider needs. Clarion is frequently engaged by biotech firms preparing for partnering conversations or early commercialization planning.
Milliman brings actuarial rigor and payer-focused analytics to healthcare market research. Its competencies include cost-effectiveness modeling, pricing strategy, and value-based contracting support. For healthcare systems, payers, and life-science companies engaged in health economic modeling or outcome-based contracting, Milliman provides robust analytic frameworks and practical recommendations on risk-sharing and reimbursement pathways.
Guidehouse offers strategic advisory and implementation support that spans regulatory, compliance, and commercial areas. The firm’s life-sciences practice supports market access, public policy analysis, and technology-enabled transformations. Guidehouse is well suited to organizations navigating complex regulatory environments or seeking integration between commercial strategy and digital-health infrastructure.