In addition to central laboratory services, the contract research organisation (CRO) will be one of two providers of clinical development services.
An Icon spokeswoman told Outsourcing-pharma.com that: “Icon has the requisite resources to support the Shire partnership,” and added that North Carolina, US-based CRO PRA International is Shire’s other clinical development services provider.
PRA did not respond to Outsourcing-pharma.com’s request for comment ahead of publication.
Shire’s decision to partner with two CROs for its clinical development work is the same strategy adopted by Icon’s other Big Pharma partners – B-MS and Pfizer – for which the Dublin based CRO shares clinical trial duties with US-headquartered Parexel.
Icon has not said how clinical development work will be divided between itself and PRA, but did disclose that it will provide Shire with feasibility assessment services, as well as help ethics and regulatory submissions, trial monitoring and project management.
No investment
Icon’s assertion that it will not need additional resources to service its relationship with Shire will be welcomed by observers concerned that this type of strategic partnering is taking too long to generate earnings.
In November several analysts said that earnings at Icon and fellow Pfizer partner Parexel had been negatively impacted by the investments – the CROs hired 500 and 300 additional staff, respectively– made to service strategic contracts.