Contract research news in brief
pharmafile | August 21, 2009 | News story | Manufacturing and Production | CRO, Covance
Pharmafocus presents its periodic round-up of developments in the contract research sector, including updates from Covance, CenterWatch, Pharm-Olam and JSS Medical, OmniComm, Praxis and Algos.
Covance has decided to delay construction of a $145 million pre-clinical research unit in Virginia on a site purchased from Eli Lilly in 2007. The hiatus – expected to last around two years – has come about because of weaker demand in Covance's pre-clinical services business.
Meanwhile Covance and Merck & Co have completed their recently-announced agreement which sees the contract research giant carry out genomics analysis services under a five-year $145 million contract and take control of Merck's Seattle-based Gene Expression Laboratory. Covance officially took control of the facility on 17 August.
CenterWatch, which operates a database of clinical trials, has forged a three-year agreement with TrialX in deal that aims to raise the profile of actively-recruiting studies and boost patient enrolment rates. CenterWatch will share its database with TrialX, a start-up company which focuses on using up-to-date web technology – including social media websites and internet health portals – to disseminate healthcare information.
US contract research organisation Pharm-Olam has teamed up with Canadas JSS Medical in a move that combines their respective capabilities in clinical trials and post-marketing observational, health economic and outcome studies. The companies said in a statement that the alliance would allow them to offer a truly global service.
eClinical specialist OmniComm Systems has won a major new contract from an unnamed European CRO to provide services for a phase III rheumatoid arthritis trial over four years and enrolling around 300 patients across 20 clinical sites. OmniComm's software and services cover electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical trial management systems (CTMS) will be used in the programme.
Patient recruitment specialist Praxis has won a contract for two major clinical studies from an unnamed pharmaceutical company, after carrying out a pilot programme that it claims carved $1.8 million off the sponsor's costs.
US company Algos Therapeutics has changed its name to Algos Preclinical Services to reflect the change in its business model from developing pharmaceutical products to pure contract research. The company used to specialise in developing its own pain-relief products but will now help other firms develop them.
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