Contract research organisation (CRO) Phastar has been shotlisted in the 'CRO Partnership of the Year' category at the 2025 Citeline Awards for its collaboration with Medicines Development for Global Health (MDGH).
The not for profit pharmaceutical company is committed to the development of affordable medicines, and Phastar has been collaborating with MDGH through its Phastar Cares pro bono scheme.
During this, Phastar supported two double-blind Phase IIIb studies of more than 12,000 participants to progress moxidectin for onchocerciasis. The Citeline Award winners will be announced during an award ceremony at the Downtown Boston Theater District Hotel on Thursday, May 8th.
The accolade recognizes organisations that have established a new standard in collaboration through innovative clinical trial partnerships.
Entries were judged on the quality of the clinical trial activity from January 2024 to February 2025.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 1.5 million people have lost vision due to onchocerciasis. Phastar’s specialists provided biostatistical support which helped to ensure MDGH could achieve its study objectives. Moxidectin is the first new medicine registered for onchocerciasis in more than 30 years and in January 2025 Ghana became the first country to roll out moxidectin in the community-based treatment of onchocerciasis.
Phastar Cares, as part of the organization’s wider corporate responsibility strategy, has provided pro-bono expertise to Great Ormond Street Hospital, Prostate Cancer Research and Education for Health, providing statistics, data science, data management and programming expertise to organizations that may otherwise be unable to afford it.
Graham Clark, CEO of Phastar, commented: “We are incredibly honored to have been shortlisted for the 2025 Citeline Awards. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and to our commitment to building meaningful, value-driven partnerships that help our clients bring life-changing therapies to market faster.
“By staying truly client-centric and consistently delivering high-quality solutions, we strive to add value at every stage of the drug development process. Our collaboration with MDGH is a powerful example of how purpose-led organizations can make a real difference when they join forces.
“Through the pro bono contribution of our expertise and resources, we supported vital research that has improved lives. We are proud to have played a role in helping MDGH register the first new medicine for the treatment of onchocerciasis in more than 30 years”.
Mark Sullivan AO, Managing Director at MDGH said: “Our partnership with Phastar, through the Phastar Cares pro bono scheme, has provided a critically important and invaluable opportunity to access expert biometric services. Developing medicines for disadvantaged communities is a complex and costly process, and we are incredibly grateful for Phastar’s contribution to our mission of eliminating onchocerciasis."
"This collaboration is a powerful example of how industry and global health organizations, like MDGH, can work together to improve lives and drive meaningful change in underserved communities around the world. We are genuinely moved by the generosity of the Phastar team. Their depth of talent continues to impress and inspire us, and they are very much part of the MDGH family. Congratulations for this well-deserved recognition.”