IQVIA (IQV) Bank of America Global Healthcare Conference 2026 summary

Financial performance and outlook

• Revenue and EPS exceeded expectations in Q1, with strong organic growth in both commercial solutions and RDS segments.

• RDS net bookings reached nearly $2.5 billion, with double-digit year-on-year growth and a healthy demand pipeline.

• Pass-through bookings were lower due to mix of contracted trials, seen as a one-off anomaly based on historical trends.

• Margins held up well despite non-operational headwinds from FX and pass-throughs; operational productivity programs contributed to margin expansion.

• Margin guidance remains at 0–30 basis points expansion annually, with potential upside from AI-driven productivity.

Demand environment and customer behavior

• EBP (emerging biotech) funding nearly doubled year-over-year, with a lag expected before it fully impacts bookings.

• Large pharma demand remains stable but is still adjusting to recent policy changes; overall demand environment is constructive.

• No evidence of EBP customers hoarding cash; phase II/III clinical development spending remains robust.

• Repeat business and strong execution are key drivers of outperformance relative to peers.

AI strategy and adoption

• AI is deeply embedded in operations, with 192 agents across 64 use cases and plans to exceed 500 agents by 2027.

• 19 of the top 20 pharma companies are using AI agents in workflows; over 100 AI-related patents filed.

• AI is driving both new commercial offerings and internal productivity, with commercial AI expected to boost revenue and margins, and RDS AI focused on margin accretion and share gains.

• Pharma clients increasingly recognize the value of proprietary data and are engaging in co-development partnerships.

• AI is expected to accelerate drug development timelines over the next 2–5 years, with tangible benefits already visible in analytics and consulting growth.