CRO

Certara buys Synchrogenix with its eye on regulatory writing

Certara, an informatics-focused pharma contractor, has bought up specialty CRO Synchrogenix, absorbing a company devoted to regulatory writing with hopes of expanding its market share.

Under the deal, Wilmington, DE's Synchrogenix and its staff of 50 will join Certara's ranks, making the eClinical outfit the world's largest independent regulatory-writing CRO in the world, the company said. Spread out across 7 offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Synchrogenix handles BLAs, INDs and NDAs along with medical device regulatory writing and preclinical registration work, Certara said.

Combined with Certara's focus on Phase I-III drug development, the CRO's capabilities create an end-to-end service offering, Certara Chairman Donald Deieso said.

"We were attracted to Synchrogenix by the quality of its work, its outstanding reputation and the global network of regulatory experts that it has developed," Deieso said in a statement. "By combining the most sophisticated regulatory professional organization with the world's leading computational drug development capabilities, we believe that Certara can continue to enable our clients to improve the pace of efficacious drug development for the benefit of patients around the world."

The acquisition is Certara's second in as many years, following a 2013 deal for analytics outfit Great Lakes Drug Development and a 2012 buyout of software provider Simcyp.

Once the latest transaction has wrapped up, Synchrogenix CEO Ellen Barrosse will remain on hand to manage the CRO's operations as a unit of Certara, the company said.

- read the statement