A month removed from a $915 million buyout deal, CRO Medpace has signed on to help biotech NephroGenex ($NRX) get through Phase III with its promising kidney disease candidate.
NephroGenex is developing Pyridorin (pyridoxamine dihydrochloride) as a treatment for diabetic nephropathy, a progressive kidney disease, and the company raised $37 million in an IPO last month to fund late-stage studies of the drug. The biotech is planning to kick off its Phase III program in the first half of the year, and it has recruited Medpace and the nephrology-focused Collaborative Study Group to help it get the treatment to market.
"Both organizations were instrumental in conducting our previous Phase IIb study, through which we were able to identify a Phase III patient population accepted by the FDA under a special protocol assessment," CEO Pierre Legault said in a statement. "These collaborations give NephroGenex the reach and expertise required to successfully execute the oral Pyridorin Phase III program through to regulatory submission."
Meanwhile, Medpace is still settling into its new ownership structure after changing hands in February. European private equity player Cinven paid $915 million to acquire the CRO from CCMP Capital Advisors, angling to buy its way into the contract research world after losing the bidding war that sent PRA to KKR for $1.3 billion last year.
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