IQVIA (IQV) Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference 2026 summary

Conference highlights

• Marked the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the merger, with EPS growing from $3.90 to $12.85 since inception.

• Both clinical trials (R&DS) and commercial solutions segments outperformed expectations in Q1, with strong revenue, EPS, and free cash flow.

• Clinical trials saw 6% revenue growth (3% organic), outpacing peers by at least five points; commercial segment achieved double-digit growth.

Industry trends and demand outlook

• Large pharma is recovering from recent disruptions, with decision-making and R&D activity stabilizing and improving.

• Bookings improved double digits year-over-year, with leading indicators up mid to high single digits.

• EBP funding and trial starts are surging, with April funding triple that of the previous year.

• Long-term R&D spend for large pharma expected to grow 2%-3%, while EBP drives faster growth at 8%-9%.

AI and technology integration

• AI is seen as a tailwind, not a disruptor, driving speed, quality, and efficiency in both clinical and commercial operations.

• Over 100 AI patents and nearly 200 agents deployed, with 19 of the top 20 large pharma using at least one IQVIA AI agent.

• AI agents support commercial functions like launch strategy, sales planning, and pricing analytics, leveraging proprietary data.