Chiltern has made its second significant acquisition this year snapping up fellow contract research organisation Pacific Clinical Research in a move designed to secure a stronger foothold in the Asia-Pacific region.
The London, UK and Wilmington, NC-based group says the addition of PCR will allow it to offer integrated services throughout the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region and strengthens in particular its offering within oncology and anti-infective areas.
Chiltern has been considering a means of growing capabilities in APAC for some time, because there is great interest across the industry to place more clinical trials in the region, a company spokesman told PharmaTimes.
“We are seeing APAC regularly in RFIs [request for information] and RFPs [request for proposal] from current and prospective customers, so this puts us in a more competitive position as a truly global service provider”, he explained.
Terms of the acquisition, which follows Chiltern’s summer purchase of specialist oncology and resourcing CRO Ockham, are being kept under wraps.
The firm now has over 2,200 staff working across 45 countries and while no other strategic changes are immediately expected, “we are always looking for ways to improve our business and will consider other opportunities that align with the needs of our customers,” the spokesman said.
