Araccel and etrials agree to merge

Two US clinical trial data management companies have agreed to combine their resources to form a market-leading company. North Carolina-based etrials, a leading provider of technologies and services for clinical trial data management, and Araccel Corporation, which has headquarters in Pennsylvania and offices in North Carolina and the UK, were set to merge at the end of November, pending shareholder approval. The new company will operate under the name etrials Worldwide, Inc.

Paper-based processes and systems are currently used in 90% of all clinical trials, but the need to reduce time to market for new products and achieve efficiencies cost-savings means that the electronic clinical trial technology market is expected to expand rapidly over the next three years.

'It had become clear that the timing was right for an aggressive, strategic initiative to capitalise on an enormous market opportunity,' said John Cline, president of etrials. 'This merger provides etrials customers with a base of operations in Europe, and Araccel customers with additional key products and technologies.'