PPD increases focus on vaccines and biologics

25-Mar-2010 - Last updated on 25-Mar-2010 at 09:11 GMT

PPD has added capabilities at the facility acquired from Merck & Co and improved integration of other sites to create its Vaccines & Biologics Center of Excellence, a single provider of multiple laboratory services.

Enhancing its services is intended to strengthen PPD’s position in a growth sector. Christine Dingivan, chief medical officer at PPD, believes it is the only contract research organisation (CRO) that can offer a “comprehensive range of testing services for vaccine and other biologics”.

Dingivan explained to Outsourcing-Pharma that PPD has worked to integrate its sites “to create a network of labs with services tailored to support vaccines and biologics programmes”. This covers vaccine testing, bioanalytical, good manufacturing practice (GMP) and central lab capabilities.

Furthermore, PPD has launched new capabilities at the vaccine testing site in Wayne, Pennsylvania, US which it acquired from Merck & Co in January 2009. These services include an expanded range of vaccine assays and enhanced cell culture and GMP capabilities.

Integrating these offerings as the Vaccines & Biologics Center of Excellence will allow PPD to provide more cost efficient services, reduce lab transfers, simplify logistics and streamline project management, according to Dingivan.

In addition, the project is intended to improve data integration. Dingivan explained that PPD can provide consistent sample management and data integration interface between the clinical, central laboratory and vaccine sites.

Further expansion

PPD has the industry’s largest collection of commercial vaccine assays, according to Dingivan, and can “provide clients with an all-inclusive menu of assay development services for vaccine clinical trials”.

Dingivan added that PPD will continue to invest and expand this portfolio. In particular PPD is looking to expand in oncology and infectious diseases, according to Dingivan, because of increased vaccine and monoclonal antibody use in these fields.

“We will also continue to invest in our network of global central lab, bioanalytical and cGMP laboratory facilities with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region”, added Dingivan.