With the first deaths being registered in North America this week, contract research organization BioPharma Services says it is donating staffers and clinical resources to help fight the disease.
The Toronto-based company said in a statement that it has “decided to donate its World Health Organization (WHO) approved facility for coronavirus COVID-19 vaccine research and treatments.”
It said as part of this, it invites all biotech companies working on a vaccine to come talk to BioPharma to see how they can help.
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Fathi Abuzgaya, M.D., chairman of the board at BioPharma Services, said: “The race is on to shorten the development time of a COVID-19 vaccine. This coronavirus has not yet been categorized as a pandemic but based on what we have learned from SARS, the potential is real. The team here stands ready today to use our early stage medical research capabilities to support the development of a much-needed vaccine.”
Renzo DiCarlo, CEO, added: “We are very proud today to offer our Phase I services to assist the global community. We have been an active partner with the USFDA to further drug research and we are well prepared to do the same for this current global need.”