WuXi Clinical looks to bridge ‘the gap between China and the rest of the world’
WuXi AppTec acquired Research Point Global (RPG) in October 2017. RPG became a wholly owned subsidiary of WuXi after the transaction closed and was integrated with WuXi's existing China-based Clinical Development Service (CDS) team.
Now, Research Point Global (RPG) and WuXi Clinical Development Services (CDS) have rebranded to become WuXi Clinical – with a formal launch this week at the DIA Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA.
The combined contract research organization (CRO) employs approximately 1,000 clinical research specialists across 20 global locations, and the company is expanding both geographically and therapeutically, said Becky Carpenter, head of North America/European operations at WuXi Clinical.
“We are expanding therapeutically now, investing heavily in oncology, CNS, and GI. We will continue to serve clients working to develop drugs for orphan indications by providing teams lead by seasoned professionals,” she told us
“Geographic expansion is a given, with plans to grow first in Asia, followed closely by further expansion throughout Eastern and Western Europe,” Carpenter added.
The company also recently acquired PharmaPace in May 2019, but Carpenter noted the mission is to be the best, not the biggest provider, “bridging the gap between China and the rest of the world.”
Carpenter explained, “The work flows both down and upstream to usher molecules through development stages but also to provide bioanalytic, manufacturing, laboratory, and genomic services throughout all phases of the clinical lifecycle.”
Maximizing the mid-sized CRO market
According to Carpenter, the mid to large CROs are all now realizing the potential of small to mid-size sponsor companies. “Everyone is now attempting to create operating units designed to serve the smaller client, but not everyone is really capable of understanding their unique needs and expectations,” she said.
In this mid-tier space, Carpenter said the market is booming – “everyone is busy!” - with an unprecedented volume of products reaching the clinical phase, most notably in oncology.
“China has established itself as a leader in discovery as a result of the number of life science professionals and the abundance of capital available for innovators. CROs that are poised to serve this market will undoubtedly grow in the coming years,” Carpenter said.
Looking forward, Carpenter said WuXi is in a unique position to provide customers with end-to-end services – discovery through submission. “Our current span of services to the industry has earned thousands of repeat customers who can now achieve full development of their products without having to change providers,” she added. “We intend to make it so easy for our clients to continue with us, they will not need interrupt progress while searching for, selecting, and contracting with multiple vendors.”
