IQVIA Holdings (IQV) risk factors: FY2025 10-K

1. The potential loss or delay of our large contracts or of multiple contracts could adversely affect our results.
2. We depend on third parties for data and support services. Our suppliers or providers might restrict our use of or refuse to license data or provide services, which could lead to our inability to access certain data or provide certain services and, as a result, materially and adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
3. If we fail to perform our services in accordance with contractual requirements, regulatory standards and ethical considerations, we could be subject to significant costs or liability and our reputation could be harmed.
4. Improper performance of our services.
5. Investigation of clients.
6. Insufficient client funding to complete a clinical trial.
7. Security breaches and unauthorized use of our IT systems and information, or the IT systems or information in the possession of our vendors, could expose us, our clients, our data suppliers or others to risk of loss.Cybersecurity
8. Failure to meet productivity objectives under our internal business transformation initiatives could adversely impact our competitiveness and harm our operating results.
9. If we are unsuccessful at investing in growth opportunities, our business could be materially and adversely affected.
10. Data protection, privacy and similar laws and regulations in the United States and around the world restrict access, use and disclosure of personal information, and failure to comply with or adapt to changes in these laws could materially and adversely harm our business.reworded
11. Our success depends on our ability to protect our intellectual property rights.
12. We may be subject to claims by others that we are infringing on their intellectual property rights.
13. We rely on licenses from third parties to certain technology and intellectual property rights for some of our services and the licenses we currently have could terminate or expire.
14. Our financial results may be adversely affected if we underprice our contracts, overrun our cost estimates or fail to receive approval for or experience delays in documenting change orders.
15. The relationship of backlog to revenues varies over time.
16. Our business depends on the continued effectiveness and availability of our information systems, including the information systems we use to provide our services to our clients, and failures of these systems may materially limit our operations.
17. We may experience challenges with the acquisition, development, enhancement or deployment of technology necessary for our business.
18. Consolidation in the industries in which our clients operate may reduce the volume of services purchased by consolidated clients following an acquisition or merger, which could materially harm our operating results and financial condition.
19. We may be adversely affected by client or therapeutic concentration.
20. Our business is subject to international economic, political and other risks that could negatively affect our results of operations and financial condition.
21. Environmental events may have an impact on our business.new
22. The expectations and requirements of regulators and other key stakeholders on sustainability-related matters, continue to evolve and diverge, and our ability to meet these expectations and requirements could increase our costs, and inaction could harm our reputation and adversely impact our financial results.new
23. Exchange rate fluctuations may affect our results of operations and financial condition.
24. Due to the global nature of our business, we may be exposed to liabilities under anti-corruption laws, including the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the United Kingdom Bribery Act and various international anti-corruption laws, and any allegation or determination that we violated these laws could have a material adverse effect on our business.
25. We face risks related to sales to government entities.
26. If we are unable to successfully develop and market new services or enter new markets, our growth, results of operations or financial condition could be adversely affected.
27. Our Research & Development Solutions business could subject us to potential liability that may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
28. Some of our services involve direct interaction with clinical trial subjects or volunteers and subcontracting into a network of Phase I clinical facilities, which could create potential liability that may adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and reputation.
29. Our Commercial Solutions business could result in liability to us if a drug causes harm to a patient. While we are generally indemnified and insured against such risks, we may still suffer financial losses.reworded
30. Our insurance may not cover all of our indemnification obligations and other liabilities associated with our operations.
31. If we are unable to attract suitable investigators and patients for our clinical trials, our clinical development business might suffer.
32. If we lose the services of key personnel or experience sustained labor shortages and are unable to recruit additional qualified personnel, or we are required to substantially increase wage rates to attract or retain employees, our business could be adversely affected.
33. Disruptions in the credit and capital markets and unfavorable general economic conditions could negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
34. Our effective income tax rate may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, which may adversely affect our operations, earnings and earnings per share.
35. Changes in accounting standards issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard-setting bodies may adversely affect our financial statements.
36. Our relationships with existing or potential clients who are in competition with each other may adversely impact the degree to which other clients or potential clients use our services, which may adversely affect our results of operations.
37. If we are unable to successfully identify, acquire and integrate existing businesses, services and technologies, our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely impacted.
38. Our results of operations may be adversely affected if we fail to realize the full value of our goodwill and acquired intangible assets.
39. We face risks arising from the restructuring of our operations.

Read these in Item 1A · See the changes

1. The biopharmaceutical services industry is highly competitive and our business could be materially impacted if we do not compete effectively or rapidly adapt to technological change.
2. Outsourcing trends in the biopharmaceutical industry and changes in aggregate spending and research and development budgets could adversely affect our operating results and growth rate.
3. Our business may be materially and adversely impacted by factors affecting the biopharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
4. We may be affected by healthcare reform and potential additional reforms, which may adversely impact the biopharmaceutical industry and reduce demand for our services or negatively impact our profitability.
5. Actions by government regulators or clients to limit a prescription’s scope or withdraw an approved drug from the market could adversely affect our business and result in a loss of revenues.
6. Laws restricting biopharmaceutical sales and marketing practices may adversely impact demand for our services.
7. Our Research & Development Solutions clients face intense competition from lower cost generic products, which may lower the amount that they spend on our services.

Read these in Item 1A · See the changes

1. Restrictions imposed in the senior secured credit facilities (as defined below) and other outstanding indebtedness, including the indentures governing outstanding notes issued by our wholly owned subsidiary IQVIA Inc., may limit our ability to operate our business and to finance our future operations or capital needs or to engage in other business activities.
2. Despite our level of indebtedness, we are able to incur more debt and undertake additional obligations. Incurring such debt or undertaking such additional obligations could further exacerbate the risks to our financial condition.
3. Restrictive covenants in our other indebtedness may limit our flexibility in our current and future operations, particularly our ability to respond to changes in our business or to pursue our business strategies.
4. Interest rate fluctuations and our ability to deduct interest expense may affect our results of operations and financial condition.Interest rates

Read these in Item 1A · See the changes

1. Provisions of the corporate governance documents of IQVIA could make an acquisition of IQVIA difficult and may prevent attempts by its stockholders to replace or remove its management, even if beneficial to its stockholders.
2. Our operating results and share price may be volatile, which could cause the value of our stockholders’ investments to decline.
3. Since we have no current plans to pay regular cash dividends on our common stock, stockholders may not receive any return on investment unless they sell their common stock for a price greater than that which they paid for it.
4. Our certificate of incorporation contains a provision renouncing any interest and expectancy in certain corporate opportunities identified by certain parties, even if such corporate opportunities are ones that we might reasonably be deemed to have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue.

Read these in Item 1A · See the changes

Headings in the FY2024 10-K with no match this year.

1. Climate change may have an impact on our business.
2. Increasing focus on sustainability and other similar initiatives could increase our costs, and inaction could harm our reputation and adversely impact our financial results.