Specialty CRO WCCT Global and oncology CRO Medelis have agreed on a merger deal that aims to “offer U.S. and international clients access to an expanded depth and breadth of clinical research offerings.”
Under the deal--financial details of which were not disclosed--Reno, NV-headquartered Medelis will continue to be led by Bill Taaffe, the current president of the company, who is the former president and CEO of ICON Clinical Research-U.S.
California-based WCCT Global currently offers a range of services, including in-house project management, clinical monitoring, biostatistics and data management.
It said in a statement that the merger adds to these the oncology expertise of Medelis as well as the experience of designing and managing preclinical and Phase I-V studies at over 400 sites in North America and Europe.
"The complex and rapidly growing oncology drug development market in the U.S., Europe, and Asia requires unique insight and expertise and an eye toward the future, all of which we now offer through this merger," said Dr. Kenneth Kim, founder and CEO of WCCT Global, in a release. "We're committed to delivering world-class clinical research solutions to achieve our vision of becoming the global leader in the development of specialized medicines and therapies."
Taaffe added: “We now offer the solution for the many sponsors who have been asking for a single specialty oncology CRO to help them navigate all of the complexities of taking oncology and immuno-oncology drugs into the clinic in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.”
This builds on a number of oncology CRO buys and mergers in recent years, including March’s deal that saw Precision for Medicine acquire ACT Oncology, as cancer research becomes an increasingly lucrative--and an increasingly necessary--offering for the life sciences services sector.
Full details of the WCCT-Medelis merger and any resultant job and/or geographic location changes have not been released by either company.
- check out the release
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