Contract research news in brief

pharmafile | October 31, 2011 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development CRO, manufacturing and production 

PPD looks set to go private, WuXi and Quintiles stride down the acquisition trail plus updates from TrialReach and Aragen Bioscience.

PPD looks set to be taken into private hands via a $3.9 billion private equity deal involving the Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman, several weeks after rumours of the deal first surfaced. The terms of the deal allow PPD to consider counter-offers, but while rival contract research organisation inVentiv Health was rumoured to be eyeing the firm it has not come forward with a concrete offer.

China’s WuXi PharmaTech has acquired two smaller CROs – MedKey Med-Tech Development and Jiecheng Med-Tech Development – both of which are based in Shanghai. The two companies provide services in regulatory affairs, Phase I-IV clinical development and clinical trial site management throughout China. Financial details of the purchase have not been disclosed.

UK company TrialReach has secured $1.2 million in additional funding from Amadeus Capital Partners, which it says will help advance its platform for clinical trials and patient recruitment services. The service is centred on the firm’s website, which helps patients with any medical condition to access clinical trials anywhere in the world, as well as providing patient information.

Quintiles has agreed to acquire Advion BioServices, a bioanalysis-focused subsidiary of Advion BioSciences. Advion BioServices provides pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) and other services that recently signed a strategic-level agreement with Eli Lilly. Quintiles said the deal plugged a gap in its portfolio and would allow it to offer a “one-source solution for lab testing”. Once the deal has received regulatory clearance and been completed, the acquired firm will be renamed Advion Bioanalytical Labs and will operate as a Quintiles company.

Meanwhile, Quintiles also strengthened its commercial services business with the acquisition of US companies VCG & Associates and VCG BIO. The company said the additions strengthen its portfolio of services in sales and brand solutions, product solutions, product distribution and market access. VCG develops strategic healthcare marketing initiatives to address the challenges surrounding US pharmaceutical market entry, with an emphasis on smaller biopharmaceutical companies with fewer resources at their disposal.

Xoma has teamed up with pre-clinical research outsourcing specialist Aragen Bioscience in which the latter will provide access to Xoma’s technology platform for humanising antibodies. Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Phil Taylor

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