Patient recruitment specialist Synexus has opened up new outposts across Eastern Europe, following through on its promise to expand around the globe after changing hands for $128 million.
The U.K. company cut the ribbon on research centers in Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, making for 9 operations in the region and 25 total in Europe and Africa, Synexus said. Each is devoted to finding and enrolling patients for global clinical trials, which is Synexus' sole focus.
The move comes after private equity outfit LDC bought Synexus from Lyceum Capital in February, adding new members to the company's board and promising to hit the gas on growth, both organic and through acquisition.
Eastern Europe, a growing market for clinical research, is a key target for expansion, Synexus CEO Christophe Berthoux said, and establishing new sites in the area helps the company fill some gaps in its network.
"Since we opened our first center in Poland in 2006 we have had an ongoing program of investment in the region," Berthoux said in a statement. "Throughout the world we are upgrading our centers to provide the very latest facilities for our patients and to provide our clients in pharma with the most accurate data."
Synexus' client roster includes GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) and Pfizer ($PFE) as well as smaller drugmakers and other CROs. Over the past few years, the company has inked buyout deals around the world to get its hands on new recruitment centers.
- read the statement