CRO

QPS boosts Phase I capabilities in Netherlands

QPS is adding 24 beds to its Phase I facility in Groningen, Netherlands, citing an increase in demand for its quick-turnaround, complex research.

The company's Phase I clinic at the University Medical Center Groningen can now support 58 beds for first-in-man and early phase studies, and the company will offer a wide range of services through the expansion, including model-based drug development, ascending dose trials and in vitro/in vivo comparisons.

QPS says the facility has established a reputation for quick approval timelines--as fast as 14 days--and the expansion will only make it more attractive to customers.

"This additional capacity will allow our clients to benefit from conducting larger and more complex early clinical studies, leveraging the experience of our QPS Netherlands staff that has already conducted over 120--mainly complex--early phase studies," CEO Ben Chien said in a statement.

QPS acquired the Groningen center as part of its 2010 buyout of CRO Xendo Drug Development, Outsourcing-Pharma notes, saying the Netherlands' favorable regulatory environment allows for lower trial costs.

In September, QPS bought Austria's JSW, a drug development specialist, in an effort to expand its offerings and grow its global reach. In addition to the deals for Xendo and JSW, QPS has also purchased India's Bioserve and Taiwan's Center of Toxicology and Preclinical Sciences over the past few years.

- read QPS' release
- here's the Outsourcing-Pharma story