Chiltern Expands Presence And Expertise In Asia-Pacific Region
By Ed Miseta, Chief Editor, Clinical Leader
Seeking to grow its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, Chiltern has announced the acquisition of Pacific Clinical Research, a Singapore-based CRO. The acquisition is expected to strengthen Chiltern’s expertise in the areas of oncology and anti-infectives, and improve its integrated service offerings throughout the region. Chiltern has existing operations in India, Australia, Singapore and Taiwan. The acquisition will allow the combined company to now have direct capabilities in Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.
The acquisition further strengthens Chiltern’s expertise in oncology, which comes on the heels of the July 2014 purchase of Ockham, a specialty oncology and resourcing CRO.
“The transaction is one of growth and development for both companies and, as Chiltern’s second major acquisition of the year, represents a continuation of our strategic plan to expand client offerings with added geographic capabilities throughout all of Asia-Pacific,” says Nicholas Spittal, senior director of Global Commercial Affairs for Chiltern. “This gives us a comprehensive footprint in the region with inroads to expand further.”
Spittal notes Chiltern has been considering various means of growing its capabilities in the region for some time. Chiltern has also collaborated with Dr. Teoh and the team at Pacific Clinical Research on several occasions. “Being able to bring this quality organization into Chiltern was a clear decision for us. There is great interest across the industry to place more clinical trials in the Asia-Pacific region, and we have several existing and prospective customers who have expressed a desire for Chiltern to have a bigger presence there as well. We feel this is a timely and necessary step as a truly global provider, and it will lead to new client opportunities in the near term.”
Chiltern has been progressing as a specialty provider for therapeutic and functional services in Oncology, Respiratory, Ophthalmology, Anti-Infectives/Vaccines and Dermatology. Expanded offerings in Asia will provide broader access to research centers and patients in these and other therapeutic areas. Pacific Clinical Research has been particularly active with Oncology and Anti-Infectives, which is expected to align well with recent inquiries from key Chiltern customers. It is also expected to enhance the company’s ability to recruit in the region for these therapy areas.
“It is our vision for Chiltern to be recognized as the leading mid-sized CRO in the industry, offering therapeutic and functional services with a true global presence, and responsive and tailored service delivery that is second to none,” adds Spittal.
Robert Teoh MD and Vonny Iskandar, founders of Pacific Clinical Research, will join the Chiltern management team as managing director of Asia-Pacific and VP of Asia Pacific, respectively.