Parexel, Chiltern, Accelovance and Icon – Clinical contract news

Parexel now has a clear path to the purchase of ClinPhone after Quintiles indicated it would not be pursuing the eclinical technology firm. Last month Parexel agreed to buy UK-based ClinPhone for a value of $182m, with the deal expected to close by the end of September. However, Quintiles then indicated that it was considering making an offer for ClinPhone that would trump Parexel's offer, leaving the fate deal hanging in the balance - a situation that has now been resolved. Chiltern has aligned with Pinnacle Biologics to undertake all the pharmacovigilence/safety reporting and medical information activities for its operations in Western Europe. No terms of the deal were disclsclosed. Pinnacle Biologics is a biopharmaceutical solutions company, currently assisting firms in either launching products on the market or maximising the value of products late in their life cycle. Company president and CEO James Miller said: "The completion of the Chiltern agreement represents a significant step in the process of offering a full range of services and solutions to the pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies that we currently represent or will partner with in the future".​ DelSite Biotechnologies and Accelovance have entered into a master service agreement whereby Accelovance will provide its clinical research services for the Phase I first-in-man dose-escalating study of DelSite's GelVac nasal powder vaccine against the H5N1 strain of influenza. The powder vaccine is based on a chemically and functionally distinct high-molecular-weight ionic polysaccharide-designated polymer, which allows dry powder to change into gel particles upon contact with liquids in the nasal cavity, which then provides sustained antigen release. DelSite said its investigational product represents a new delivery approach in this field, as all current influenza vaccines are liquid formulations that have a limited shelf life, require refrigeration for storage and distribution and, with the exception of one live vaccine product, are administered by injection. In other news, Icon Medical Imaging has established a cardiac scientific advisory board comprised of world experts across several cardiological disciplines, to advise the business on strategic initiatives, including the role of cardiac imaging in clinical trials, safety and adjudication of clinical events. According to the WHO, cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death globally. Medical imaging is emerging as one of the newest ways to accurately detect cardiovascular disease and is being used more and more in clinical trials. Icon's Medical Imaging division has conducted 42 trials in the area of cardiac imaging to date and said it is "committed to expanding these services".