U.K. CRO Ergomed has bolstered its IT capabilities by acquiring two German service providers. The takeovers give Ergomed access to statistical analysis capabilities and an electronic data capture (EDC) system, a resource it plans to use to support its continued expansion into postmarketing services.
Guildford, U.K.-based Ergomed sees the acquired companies supporting its operation in different ways. Dr. Oestreich + Partner (O+P), a Cologne-based full service CRO, gives Ergomed access to the aforementioned EDC platform. While big companies, notably Medidata ($MDSO) and Oracle ($ORCL), have come to define and dominate the EDC sector, some smaller players have avoided the fate of being crushed by market leaders.
O+P’s EDC system, for example, has been in operation since 1998, the year before Medidata was founded. Now, Ergomed is looking to expand the use of the platform, called Opverdi, in certain areas, specifically postmarketing data collection. The expansion will necessitate further development of the platform, although the current iteration is suitable for use in Phase IV and postmarketing studies, as well as early-stage trial programs.
Ergomed’s focus on the postmarketing applications of the platform is in keeping with the strategy it has followed since its IPO in 2014. The CRO acquired drug safety monitoring company PrimeVigilance In conjunction with the IPO. And 13 months ago it got its checkbook out again to buy Sound Opinion, a U.K. company that handles calls from patients on behalf of drug manufacturers. The two deals built out Ergomed’s postmarketing services division.
Gesellschaft für angewandte Statistik + Datenanalyse (GASD), the second of the German takeovers, brings something different to Ergomed. The company, which has a long-standing relationship with O+P, is specialized in clinical trial statistics and data management, from the proper design of studies through to the correct use of statistical methods during the analysis stage. Ergomed plans to make GASD the cornerstone of its global data management and statistics operation.
Few financial details relating to the deals have been made public. Ergomed is issuing shares worth £192,000 ($274,000) to cover part of the acquisition cost. The combined revenues of the acquired companies in 2015 was around $1.5 million.
- read the statement