MDS Pharma Services, Almac Clinical Technologies and Pharm-Olam International – Clinical contract news
clinical contract community of late, involving MDS Pharma Services,
Almac Clinical Technologies and Pharm-Olam International.
MDS Pharma Services has revealed its intent to bolster its clout in the area of respiratory diseases and metabolic disorders and has appointed two experienced medical professionals to lead its late stage clinical trial management activities in this regard. Dr Bernard Tisserand and Dr Jonny Salyer have been named executive medical directors for Respiratory Disorders and Metabolic Disorders, respectively. The firm said that these therapeutic areas represent "serious global public health concerns" and, as such, are key areas of focus for its customers. "Pharmaceutical companies are pursuing clinical research programs to address these disorders, and we have made a strategic decision to become a leader in these key therapeutic arenas by establishing dedicated teams headed by experienced medical professionals," said MDS Pharma Services president David Spaight. "In the past 10 years, MDS Pharma Services has managed over 150 clinical projects involving respiratory conditions and metabolic disorders. With expert project teams in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America, we can offer our clients worldwide access to patients with these conditions." Almac Clinical Technologies has announced the signing of $12m worth of new studies within the past several weeks, including one of the largest studies in the company's history, which is a global mega-study that will involve close to 20,000 patients and require the provision of "very sophisticated technological and statistical solutions," the firm said. The company said it has grown rapidly over the past few years, with president Jim Murphy attributing the growth to "market trends which play to the strengths of Almac". "We are seeing an increase in the number of large, global, complex trials as well as smaller adaptive clinical trials, each requiring sophisticated randomisation and drug management approaches," he said. "Sponsors seem to be turning to experienced global firms, such as Almac, with strong project management expertise and technologies to make those trials successful." In terms of large studies that will be carried out over many years, Murphy said that sponsors also "want to know that the firm providing essential services for their trial is financially stable and is going to be around for many years. We were founded in 1995 and are part of the greater Almac Group, a large global provider of R&D services that is privately owned, growing rapidly, and well-financed. This assures our clients that we are going to be there for them in the future and will continue to invest in ways to support their trials." Joe Cunningham, business development director of Almac Clinical Technologies also pointed to another industry trend that he believes is fuelling the firm's rapid growth: "Over the past year we have seen a split in the marketplace with an increasing number of complex and larger trials that require sophisticated statistical methodologies and technological solutions", he said. "We are able to handle these through our highly customisable and configurable IXR Interactive Voice and Web Response systems." Meanwhile, US contract research organisation (CRO) Pharm-Olam International, in conjunction with its sister CRO MB Quest, have opened its third office in Russia, this time in St Petersburg, adding to the locations in Moscow and Novosibirsk that it already operates from. By the end of the year the firm anticipates that 20 new employees will be working from the site in St Petersburg, where until now the firm has been using regional employees to monitor trials since 1997. "Because of the concentration of state-approved sites for research and the continued interest from sponsors, it made sense to establish a permanent office there," said MBQ president Eugene Barg.
