CRO

WCCT Global, with an eye to Asian expansion, opens new Korean offices

Californian CRO WCCT Global is opening a new office and clinical operations in South Korea’s capital as it looks to be a part of the burgeoning life sciences sector in the region.

The company said its expansion is a part of its efforts to increase its capacity for clinical research in one of Asia's fastest-growing countries for biopharmaceutical development.

In addition to managing research initiatives in South Korea, WCCT said it will also be host to educational events designed for investigators--as well as local and multinational biopharmaceutical companies and other parties, interested in learning about participation in clinical research on a global scale.

WCCT also plans to use its early clinical development expertise in collaboration with key academic institutions throughout the country, it said in a statement.

WCCT’s chairman and CEO, Dr. Kenneth Kim, said: “By establishing offices in South Korea, we will expand our clinical research expertise capabilities and build a support infrastructure in Korea. We believe our experience and expertise can help the Korean clinical CRO market expand its scope of services.”

The company also intends to help broaden the scope of services offered across the Pan-Pacific region. The new office will serve as the strategic base for WCCT's expansion into Asia and will allow the company to conduct trials throughout the Pan-Pacific area and reach special patient populations within South Korea.

WCCT's Director of Corporate Development in Korea, Jaeho Lee, added: “By opening an office in South Korea, we can further enhance our corporate goal to manage global clinical trials. Currently, WCCT is known as the leader in conducting ethnic sensitivity and Ethnobridging trials within the United States and will use this new global perspective to improve the way it conducts research in the Korean population.

“By broadening our in-country knowledge of Korea, we believe we will be able to increase our competitive position in the Pan-Pacific region. This move marks a huge transition for how WCCT can make a greater impact on medical research outside of the United States.”

This is not the first time the CRO has ventured into the country as back in 2012, it announced a business agreement with Korea Drug Development Fund (KDDF), located in Seoul, to help it build stronger ties in the region.

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