Piramal Healthcare looks to North America for next acquisition

Published: 5-Oct-2008

Piramal Healthcare (formerly the custom manufacturing group of NPIL Pharma) intends to continue its expansion into the global contract research and clinical trials arena and is currently considering acquisitions in North America.


Piramal Healthcare (formerly the custom manufacturing group of NPIL Pharma) intends to continue its expansion into the global contract research and clinical trials arena and is currently considering acquisitions in North America.

The company is currently present in three countries, Romania, Israel and India and can now offer clinical trials capability following the acquisition in March this year of Tangent Data srl.

Tangent Data operates at over 30 academic medical centres throughout Romania and is the country's largest CRO to specialise in the central nervous system (CNS) sector.

As the driver for Piramal Clinical Research, the business will continue under the leadership of Ilan Gonen md, who founded Tangent in 2003. The company is based in Bucharest and has 30 employees.

"This is Piramal Healthcare's first CRO acquisition, but also the second in a series of steps to increase our presence across the clinical trial space and the breadth of our customer offering," said Dr R Ananthanarayanan, president and head of the Pharma Solutions business.

"It connects upstream of our clinical trials manufacturing capabilities and forms the first link in our now complete supply chain, offering customers more flexibility and value through reduced time to clinic," he added.

Over the next three years, Piramal envisages the spread of Piramal Clinical Research into both Western and Eastern Europe, across South Asia and into North America. Beyond CNS, it is now moving to specially focus on dermatology, oncology and metabolic diseases.

The company has recently equipped the Morpeth, UK site for the packaging and distribution of clinical trials supplies. The 13,000 ft2 facility now offers a range of primary and secondary packaging capabilities for solid dosage forms with space for future expansion.

The company is also preparing to commission its solid dose clinical trial material GMP manufacturing facilities in Ahmedabad, India, and in Bangalore it will commence manufacture of injectable clinical trials materials at a facility acquired in early 2008.

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