“With the integration of 15 AXIS projects and almost the entire clinical operations team, we consider KCR as one of the key players in Ukraine in regards to trials execution,” said Mike Jagielski, President and CEO of KCR. "Ukraine, being the second most populated country in the CIS region, presents a favorable market for conducting clinical studies."
Tetyana Byelyayeva, General Manager for Ukraine and Georgia, at KCR added that the “political situation in the Eastern part of the country does not affect ongoing projects, neither any submission procedures. We conduct all studies according to timelines.”
Other CROs seem similarly unfazed by the Ukrainian unrest, with Quintiles, PPD, Icon and Parexel all continuing trials in the country.
KCR has had a registered subsidiary in Ukraine since 2007, with a team of 40 experienced specialists, and an office located in the heart of Kyiv. Important market drivers, according to the subsidiary, are submission requirements adjusted to the EU regulations as well as recent improvements to the regulatory framework regarding new rules on liability insurance as well as guidelines set for bioequivalence studies.
“Ukraine has a well-developed system of medical institutions and universities, highly qualified investigators and more and more experienced sites which translates into effective patients recruitment,” adds Jagielski.
In March, KCR expanded into the UK and Germany with new subsidiaries. The company now has a presence in 19 countries in Europe, as well as the US.
Jagielski also previously told us in an interview that mid-sized CROs have business model problems, which he said hampers innovative development.