PPD opens vaccine clinical research centre in China
To provide expertise in addressing requirements for vaccine clinical trials in China
Contract research organisation PPD has opened a vaccine clinical research centre in Taizhou, China, to strengthen its clinical research and development services in one of the country’s major regions for conducting vaccine studies. Through the centre, PPD will provide clinical monitoring services to global and local biopharmaceutical companies seeking to develop vaccines in China.
Located at the Taizhou China Medical City, the centre will help biopharmaceutical companies address the unique requirements for conducting vaccine clinical trials in China. Vaccine studies in the country are conducted by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention instead of at Phase I clinics or by investigators at hospitals, and require thousands of patients for enrolment, compared with hundreds for studies conducted in other countries.
‘The vaccines market is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry, and in China the clinical trial market is growing at about 20% each year,’ said Simon Britton, PPD’s vice president of clinical development for Asia Pacific. ‘Our strong expertise in vaccine clinical research and large presence in China make us well positioned to help our clients ensure adherence to global standards while addressing unique requirements for monitoring vaccine studies.’
The China Medical City has become a national hub for international and domestic pharmaceutical, biomedical and biotechnology companies and is part of a long-term plan to advance Taizhou as a global leader in research and development.
PPD opened its first office in China in 2003 and now claims to be the largest CRO in the country with nearly 1,100 employees. Its acquisitions of Excel PharmaStudies and BioDuro last year advanced its goal of becoming China’s leading services provider for the biopharmaceutical industry.
