Quintiles celebrates two industry awards

Top international clinical research organisation (CRO) Quintiles is celebrating after winning two industry awards for its work in the Asia Pacific region.

The company's East Asia subsidiary has been named the Asia Pacific region's multinational clinical trials service provider of the year and multinational CRO of the year by the consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

The firm has been working hard to cement itself in the expand burgeoning Asian clinical trials arena after already establishing itself as the largest CRO in the pharma industry's other lucrative growth market, India.

Covance, Kendle and PRA are among other top CROs vying for new business in the region.

Biopharmaceutical companies are increasingly interested in integrating China, Japan, Singapore, India and other Asian Pacific countries into their global studies in order to increase the speed of drug development and reduce study costs.

"The area is ideal for clinical research," said Michael Stibilj, executive director of Southeast Asia Clinical Development.

"It has the right mix of excellent hospital infrastructure, highly motivated investigators, a stable regulatory environment and a broad spectrum of diseases common in the developing and developed world," he said.

Last year Quintiles started 76 new clinical trials and now has more than 200 trials ongoing and 320 regular clinical research employees in the Asia Pacific region.

The company also opened new offices in Vietnam and Indonesia, adding to its existing offices in Australia, New Zealand, China, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

Since 1993, the Quintiles clinical team in Asia Pacific has completed over 500 clinical trials involving about 2,500 sites and more than 60,000 patients.

Frost & Sullivan said it presents the awards to companies that demonstrate "best practices in their industry, using the diligence, commitment and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace."