PPD’ buy expands presence in booming CEE

10-Feb-2009 - Last updated on 10-Feb-2009 at 11:19 GMT

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PPD has reached an agreement to buy AbCRO, which it hopes will strengthen its position in the thriving Central and Eastern European (CEE) clinical trials scene.

Through the acquisition PPD will gain a presence in Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia and the infrastructure and expertise that AbCRO has in these markets.

In addition the purchase will enhance PPD’s operations in Poland, Ukraine and Russia, which are increasingly being recognised as key markets for conducting clinical trials.

Fred Eshelman, CEO of PPD, said: "This acquisition will strengthen our foothold in Central and Eastern Europe and enhance our ability to conduct global trials for our clients.

“We see many synergies with AbCRO and anticipate a relatively seamless integration, with many of the AbCRO employees already well-versed on basic PPD procedures and systems."

PPD initially moved into clinical trials in CEE through the acquisition of InnoPharm and since then has enhanced its presence. The acquisition of AbCRO will further cement its position in the region but the level of interest in CEE is making it an increasingly competitive market place.

For instance, Covance has recently expanded its presence in the market through the opening of offices in Ukraine, Slovakia and Israel. The majority of these markets offer a large pool of treatment naïve Caucasian patients which makes recruiting for trials far quicker.

In addition a recent RNCOS stated that: “with a sizeable population still unable to afford costly medications, the number of potential patients participating in clinical trials is expected to be large.”