Agreement Creates Unique Strategic Collaboration for Development and Clinical Trial Execution
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C - Thursday, May 16th 2013 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS
WIRE)-- Merck Serono, a division of Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, and
Quintiles, the world’s largest provider of biopharmaceutical development
and commercial outsourcing services, today announced a new, five-year
clinical development agreement. This strategic collaboration is the
first-of-its-kind between a biopharmaceutical company and a
biopharmaceutical services provider, creating a comprehensive process
that integrates the expertise and experience from both organizations
into a single, well-aligned clinical development engine.
In a
novel approach to clinical development that is founded on a shared
commitment to cost-disciplined science, the collaboration is intended to
optimize productivity in the design and execution of studies with a
focus on quality, speed and efficiency.
Under this agreement,
Merck Serono will shape and lead the strategy of its clinical
development programs, with Quintiles directing clinical trial planning
and execution. Quintiles also will be a key contributor to Merck
Serono’s future clinical trial design activities. In this capacity,
Quintiles will focus on delivering superior performance based on
optimized clinical trial design and execution strategies, using highly
efficient processes and proven technologies.
To fully leverage
the expertise of both organizations, leaders from Quintiles will
collaborate in strategic decision-making processes affecting the
development of the Merck Serono portfolio.
“By combining the
strengths of Merck Serono and Quintiles, we are creating a new model in
clinical development that will unlock the knowledge and insights of both
companies,” says Annalisa Jenkins, Executive Vice President and Head of
Global Development and Medical at Merck Serono. “This is an innovative
and unique collaboration that will help to translate the highest-quality
science into efficiency and agility throughout our clinical trials,
while enhancing our competitive position in an increasingly challenging
environment of clinical drug development.”
Moving forward,
Quintiles will be the sole primary provider of Merck Serono’s outsourced
clinical development services for its global clinical programs. The
agreement will span the full spectrum of clinical development, from
Phase I through to post-marketing approvals. Importantly, it will also
allow Merck Serono to expand its reach globally by leveraging the broad
local expertise of Quintiles to implement development programs around
the world.
“This agreement is built upon a long-standing
commitment to trust and transparency between our two organizations, and
I’m confident it will only be enhanced by this innovative relationship,”
says Tom Pike, Chief Executive Officer, Quintiles. “We are excited
about the opportunities this collaboration provides as we work with
Merck Serono in a new and innovative manner that leverages the best of
our combined capabilities. We view this as a key step forward not only
for our two companies, but for the way the industry approaches the
development of new therapies for the patients we ultimately serve.”
The
agreement reflects a shared commitment between both organizations to
delivering optimal performance in clinical development. The objective is
to expedite the delivery of new therapeutic options to patients with
high medical need across Merck Serono’s core research therapeutic areas
of neurology, oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology.
About Quintiles
Quintiles
(NYSE: Q) is the world’s largest provider of biopharmaceutical
development and commercial outsourcing services with a network of more
than 27,000 employees conducting business in approximately 100
countries. We have helped develop or commercialize all of the top-50
best-selling drugs on the market. Quintiles applies the breadth and
depth of our service offerings along with extensive therapeutic,
scientific and analytics expertise to help our customers navigate an
increasingly complex healthcare environment as they seek to improve
efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of better healthcare
outcomes.
About Merck Serono
Merck Serono is the
biopharmaceutical division of Merck. With headquarters in Darmstadt,
Germany, Merck Serono offers leading brands in 150 countries to help
patients with cancer, multiple sclerosis, infertility, endocrine and
metabolic disorders as well as cardiovascular diseases. In the United
States and Canada, EMD Serono operates as a separately incorporated
subsidiary of Merck Serono.
Merck Serono discovers, develops,
manufactures and markets prescription medicines of both chemical and
biological origin in specialist indications. We have an enduring
commitment to deliver novel therapies in our core focus areas of
neurology, oncology, immuno-oncology and immunology.
About Merck
Merck
is a leading pharmaceutical, chemical and life science company with
total revenues of €11.2 billion in 2012, a history that began in 1668,
and a future shaped by approx. 39,000 employees in 66 countries. Its
success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees.
Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in
which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free
shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S.
subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an independent
company ever since.
For more information, please visit www.merckserono.com or www.merckgroup.com
This
press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements
reflect, among other things, Quintiles’ current expectations and
anticipated results of operations, all of which are subject to known and
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forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. Without
limiting the foregoing, the words “anticipates,” “believes,”
“estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “should,”
“targets,” “will” and the negative thereof and similar words and
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions,
including those described under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in
Quintiles’ prospectus dated May 8, 2013, filed with the SEC pursuant to
Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act on May 9, 2013, as such factors may be
updated from time to time in Quintiles’ periodic filings with the SEC,
which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These factors
should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction
with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release
and in Quintiles’ filings with the SEC. Unless legally required,
Quintiles assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
information to reflect actual results or changes in the factors
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Contacts
Quintiles
Kevin Nash, Media Relations, +1 919-998-2514
kevin.nash@quintiles.com
Karl Deonanan, Investor Relations, +1 919-998-2789
InvestorRelations@quintiles.com
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