Goldman, EQT to Purchase Research Firm Parexel for $8.5 Billion

Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s investment arm and private-equity firm EQT AB agreed to pay $8.5 billion for Parexel International Corp., the latest deal for a company that conducts scientific research for drugmakers.

The firms agreed to acquire Parexel from owner Pamplona Capital Management, according to a statement.

Contract research organizations like Parexel direct clinical trials that are key to drug approvals. The work became difficult to carry out in the height of the pandemic, when hospitals were devoted to caring for Covid patients. As infections wane, the business has bounced back, and companies have regained interest from ...