PPD, Novotech and Generex – Clinical contract news

Pharmaceutical Products Development (PPD) has announced the opening of four new offices in Sydney, Australia; Copenhagen, Denmark; Lima, Peru; and Lisbon, Portugal.

The Sydney office is the contract research organisation's (CRO's) second in Australia, whereas the other three offices represent new territory for the firm, which has been active in its expansion efforts of late.

Asia in particular is becoming a much greater focus for the company, although Japan appears to be one country that the firm is not rushing towards setting up shop in.

PPD has not had a very large presence in the country yet and when asked in a recent analyst webcast what the company had in mind for Japan, Fred Eshelman vice chairman and CEO of PPD said: "Our strategy at the moment is to continue to work with a partner company in Japan; we have no plans to go in there directly at this moment".

Still on the subject of Asia, Australian CRO Novotech has said it is now "in rapid expansion mode" and is eyeing Asia as part of its growth plans.

The firm said it aims to have an office set up in India by the end of this year, with "others in the region to follow shortly afterwards".

Novotech has already secured investment from two biotech venture firms, BioPacificVentures and Co-Investor Capital Partners, to help facilitate its grand plans in the thriving CRO space.

Meanwhile, Canadian firm Generex Biotechnology said it has entered into a number of key service agreements with CROs in relation to global Phase III trials for its buccal insulin spray, Oral-lyn.

Generex has chosen PSI-CRO Clinical Research Services to serve as its global CRO and provide clinical services, via 600 full-time, dedicated staff in Europe and North America.

Nextrials has been selected to provide the firm with electronic data capture (EDC), randomisation, and data management services, and has also recruited eResearchTechnology to supply equipment and provide central diagnostic electrocardiographic (ECG) services for the clinical trials.

The company also said "negotiations with other key service providers and suppliers are ongoing and expected to be completed very soon".

Generex is already working with Osmos Clinical Research who has been charged with assist with the project management for the clinical programme.