Contract research news in brief
pharmafile | January 17, 2012 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Research and Development |Â Â AAIPharma and General Dynamics, Charles River Labs, Covance, ICON, ShangPharmaÂ
A round-up of developments in the contract research sector, including updates on Charles River Labs, ShangPharma, Icon, Covance, AAIPharma and General Dynamics.
Charles River Laboratories is rumoured to be in talks with a mystery suitor that could lead to an offer to acquire the firm, according to US newspaper reports. For some time there have been suggestions among some investors that CRL could benefit by splitting its contract pre-clinical research division from the animal model and research supplies unit. Shares in the company have been on the rise in the past few days on speculation that a private equity firm may be gearing up for a bid.
Chinese contract research organisation ShangPharma says it has opened a new 110,000 sq. ft. laboratory facility to meet “the growing capacity needs of one of its largest customers, Eli Lilly“. The opening of the new facility coincides with the signing of a multi-year extension of ShangPharma’s contract with Lilly, which has said in the past that China is a central pillar in its emerging markets strategy.
Irish CRO Icon plc has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Shire Specialty Pharmaceuticals to serve as the drugmaker’s sole global provider of central laboratory services. The agreement also makes Icon one of two CROs providing Shire with clinical development services, including site and country feasibility, ethics and regulatory submissions, clinical trial monitoring, project management, site and study team support, medical management and medical data review.
Covance has signed a four-year R&D collaboration with Inserm Transfert, the technology transfer subsidiary of France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), in the area of drug discovery and early development. Teams at Covance’s facilities in Porcheville, France, and Alnwick, UK, will work with Inserm Transfert on a number of drug development programmes, from inception through to the filing of approval to start clinical trials.
In the US, AAIPharma has acquired Celsis Analytical from its parent company Celsis International as part of its continued expansion into the laboratory services division. Celsis Analytical carries out material testing services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and manufacturing sectors from its 65,000 sq. ft. facilities in St. Louis and Edison, New Jersey.
General Dynamics’ IT subsidiary GDIT has been awarded a five-year, $497 million contract from the US Navy to provide medical research support services for the military’s research, vaccine development, clinical trials and US Food and Drug Administration investigational new drug (IND) application activities.
Phil Taylor
Related Content
Cloud on the horizon: Cloud computing and the clinical trial
Originally published in the September edition of Pharmafocus, Matt Fellows investigates how cloud computing may …
M&A activity drives record year for pharma outsourcing deals
A drastic increase pharma industry in M&A activity has propelled the value of pharmaceutical outsourcing …
LabCorp buys Covance for $6.1 billion
US medical diagnostics firm LabCorp has entered the drug development business via a $6.1 billion …
