Contract research news in brief
pharmafile | January 24, 2011 | News story | Research and Development |Â Â AMRI, Applied Clinical Intelligence, Cenix Bioscience, Clinipace Worldwide, ICON, PPD, Pacific Biomarkers, monoclonal antibodyÂ
PPD sets up a monoclonal antibody JV in Singapore, plus updates from Icon plc, Cenix Bioscience, Clinipace Worldwide, Pacific Biomarkers, AMRI and Applied Clinical Intelligence.
Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) has set up a joint venture in Singapore focusing on monoclonal antibody drug discovery with local company Taijitu Biologics in a move that builds on its 2009 acquisition of Chinese outsourcing firm BioDuro. The US-based contract research organisation (CRO) is investing $25 million in the joint venture – to be called BioDuro Biologics – and has a majority stake in initiative. The new company will collaborate with Taijitu’s sister company MAB Discovery GmbH, based in Germany.
Ireland-based CRO Icon has boosted its service offering in the area of post-marketing studies with the purchase of Oxford Outcomes, a specialist in patient reported outcomes (PRO), health economics, epidemiology and translation and linguistic validation. Elizabeth Thiele, formerly Icon’s executive vice president of business development, has been appointed president of the specialised service unit, which has offices in the UK, US and Canada.
German CRO Cenix BioScience has opened a new R&D unit in Belgium to boost its capabilities in RNA interference (RNAi) and micro-RNA (miRNA) based drug discovery. Cenix BioScience BVBA, based in Flanders, will concentrate on areas such as central nervous system-focused drug discovery and delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vivo.
eClinical specialist Clinipace Worldwide says it more than doubled its revenues in 2010 over the prior year, thanks to 16 new projects awarded from 12 new clients. The firm said it benefitted from new contracts to manage several phase I, II and III trials in nephrology/renal, oncology, cardiovascular, and immunology during the year.
Pacific Biomarkers says it has been awarded major research contracts with two multinational pharmaceutical companies to provide clinical biomarker services, specifically the analysis of biomarkers associated with cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory diseases and hepatic and renal injury. The contracts – with an estimated combined value of $1.1 million – will get underway in February and continue through to the end of the year.
Contract research organisation AMRI has merged its discovery R&D and chemistry divisions into a single unit run by vice president of drug discovery Bruce Sargent. The move brings together chemistry- and biology-based services across all of the company’s locations worldwide and will “generate significant value for our customers”, said chief executive Thomas D’Ambra.
Applied Clinical Intelligence has appointed Heather Mellon as vice president, client services, with responsibility for the CRO’s sales and marketing efforts. Mellon joins ACI from medical and scientific affairs company BioSource Corp.
Phil Taylor
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