Since its founding in 1954, IMS has served the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries with expertise and insights for advancing world health.

A Look Back...

Pharmaceutical market research was still in its infancy in the years following  World War II. With few objective industry insights available, drug company executives based most of their strategic decisions on their own internal research.

That changed in the late 1940’s, when a small group of visionaries began developing the pharmaceutical industry’s first syndicated market research studies. Among them were Ludwig Wilhelm “Bill” Frohlich and David Dubow. Frohlich, who headed up a major New York-based advertising agency, founded Intercontinental Marketing Services (IMS) in 1954 as a vehicle for expanding his overseas operations.

In 1957, IMS published its first European syndicated research study, an audit of pharmaceutical sales within the West German market. IMS continued to expand into new geographies, including Great Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Acquisitions in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand strengthened its position. By 1969, IMS was the leader in pharmaceutical market research in Europe and Asia, with annual revenue of $5 million.

IMS cracked the North America market in 1969, purchasing Davee, Koehnlein and Keating (DKK) of Chicago, a firm that produced syndicated pharmaceutical sales audits for both the US and Canada. The following year, IMS acquired a company that conducted sales audits in Latin America.

In 1972, IMS became a public company. That year, the company  strengthened its foothold in the US when it acquired Lea, Associates, Inc.  Lea produced the first National Disease and Therapeutic Index, a service IMS continues to provide today.

In 1973, IMS diversified into two new healthcare fields: Medical Communications and Life Sciences. The Medical Communications Division published professional and trade journals, audio/visual training products for physicians, directories and other advertising media. The Life Sciences Division offered toxicology testing.

The following year, IMS continued its rapid expansion with the purchase of Armbruster, Moore and MacKerell -- the originator of the Hospital Supply Index and Laboratory Diagnostic Audits; Pharmatech (which had developed the forerunner to IMS’s online delivery systems); and Cambridge Computer, the creator of Drug Distribution Data (DDD). DDD sales territory reports quickly became one of IMS’s most significant product lines.

In 1979, IMS introduced MIDAS, a worldwide data analysis service that enabled companies to access IMS databases directly from terminals installed in their own offices.

In 1980, the company established a Consumer Market Research Division to provide market research services to the fashion, apparel, and household appliance industries as well as a Pharmacy Services Division that developed computer services for pharmacists.

By 1981, IMS was a thriving worldwide company with offices in 57 countries and revenues of $170 million. The company soon refocused on healthcare exclusively and spun off its consumer research interests. That left the Market Research, Communications, Life Sciences and Pharmacy Services divisions.

Tremendous growth through acquisition marked the mid-1980’s. IMS acquired Pipeline in 1984, Fisher Stevens and Luning Prak Associates in 1985, and Clark-O’Neill and Healthcare Information Programs in 1986. Then, in 1988, The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation acquired IMS for nearly $1.8 billion.

D&B regarded IMS as the “jewel in its crown” and invested heavily in the company to preserve its leadership position. The corporation also sought to leverage competencies between IMS and its sister division, A.C. Nielsen.

In 1996, D&B pursued a strategy of unbundling businesses and split itself into three independent public companies. Through the split, Cognizant Corporation was formed, consisting primarily of IMS and Nielsen Media Research.

In 1998, IMS and Nielsen Media Research became separate, independent companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange.  IMS spun off Gartner Group the following year. In 2000, IMS sold Erisco Managed Care Technologies and spun off its Strategic Technologies unit, which became Synavant.  These actions, along with the sale of several smaller businesses, moved IMS closer to its roots as a pure-play healthcare information provider.

In 2001, IMS strengthened its consulting capabilities by acquiring Cambridge Pharma Consultancy, a privately held international firm that provides strategic advice to senior pharmaceutical management.

Today, with operations in more than 100 countries and annual revenue of $2.0 billion, IMS is the world’s leading source of information and analytics  for anyone who wants to track, measure and succeed within the pharmaceutical industry. IMS's global workforce of 7,600+ professionals provides clients with precise market intelligence that is translated into strategic actions.