Like the highly scientific information that drives the research and development of drugs, devices and systems among life sciences companies, it is data that drives how these firms develop their business prospects. Life Science Analytics of Scranton has become a clear leader among providers of highly sought-after databases and reports of pipeline, financial and venture information.

When the company was founded in 2003 by Dr. Robert Naismith, it was monitoring 1,300 life sciences firms for 106 subscribers. Today through its MedTRACK product, LSA tracks 130,000 companies for roughly 800 subscribers. That's largely due to the company being purchased in 2005 by UK-based DataMonitorGroup, which bulked up the LSA's sales force globally in places like Dubai and Japan. LSA, meanwhile, is one of DataMonitorGroup's most profitable holdings, having grown by 32 percent in the first half of 2009 compared to the previous year.

While most competitors focus on one specialty, like clinical trial details, LSA has become a one-stop shop for business development types. MedTRACK systemizes pipeline, financial, competitive product, mechanism of action, partnering and patent information, all of which can be sorted by parameters like disease or clinical trial stage and searched by SEC filings, websites, news and product descriptions. LSA also boasts a report center that produces 5,000 reports every month based on MedTRACK data, like therapeutic areas, as well as databases that track deals and alliances and venture finance.

LSA, which recently expanded its database to include global financial data, is planning a major upgrade to MedTRACK that will transform the architecture and flexibility of the database.