Author: Peter Mansell

Venn Life Sciences, the clinical research organisation (CRO) based in Dublin, Ireland, has acquired for £210,000 the trading assets of dermatology company Evocutis, including the latter’s Labskin skin substitute, an alternative to animal testing for dermatology products including medicines and cosmetics.

England’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network has seen a significant upturn during its latest financial year in the number of first global patients recruited for commercial studies through the network.

US-based contract research organisation Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) has sealed a long-standing relationship with the Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe, by announcing a strategic collaboration with the Charité aimed at expanding and enhancing opportunities for clinical trials in Germany.

European private equity firm Cinven has taken a majority stake in US-based contract research organisation (CRO) Medpace for around US$915 million.

A “confusing, inconsistent and arbitrary” regulatory environment has seen the number of industry-sponsored clinical trials conducted in India fall by 66% from 256 in 2010 to 86 in 2013, says the US-based Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO).