Quintiles Ph I facility open at Guy’s Hospital ‘experimental medicine hub’
The new suite also houses a pharmacy for trial materials, labs for stem cell and genetic research and a study information centre and is designed to encourage patient participation and foster closer links between scientists and health professionals.
Quintiles, which collaborated on the project with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, will operate the 30-bed Phase I unit for FIH and proof-of-concept drug research.
CEO Dennis Gillings, told attendees at the opening ceremony that: “The biopharma world is changing rapidly…it requires a new, highly collaborative approach that follows the “think global, act local” concept to ensure that scientific advances are translated into patient benefits.
“Our involvement in the Experimental Medicine Hub has increased our capacity to conduct proof of concept programmes. These facilities bring Quintiles physically and professionally closer to academic and medical colleagues.”
The opening of the Phase I centre follows just a few months after Quintiles partnered with another organisation in the English capital, genomics and proteomics specialist London Genetics (LG).
The accord, which was formed in November, also focused on building the CRO’s presence in the rapidly developing experimental and personalised medical research sectors by leveraging LG’s capabilities in pharmacogenetics.
Phase I partnerships
The Guy’s Hospital Phase I unit is now one of six Quintiles operates and is the second to be opened this year behind the facility it unveiled in Hyderabad, India in January.
Like the London site, Quintiles established the Hyderabad 86-bed, INR400m (€6m) centre through a collaboration, partnering with the Apollo Hospitals Group which retains a 40 per cent holding in the facility.
The opening in London follows just 24 hours after the US CRO confirmed that it is still continuing to assess various partnering, acquisition and investment opportunities to drive growth.
