Synergy Research, a Russia-based clinical research organization (CRO), announced a new international CRO alliance with Metrics Research, a Pakistan-based CRO. This is Synergy’s next step toward the formation of a worldwide CRO network capable of competing for large, multi-center clinical studies. “Pakistan, with its 173 million strong population base, and a vast number of treatment-naïve patients, exactly like Russia, is one of the world’s emerging clinical trials market today. Together we are able to offer our sponsors access to more than 300 million patients,” said Elena Zhuk, general director and CEO at Synergy. Here’s the release.

The Institute for Pediatric Innovation has been awarded a $50,000 grant to analyze the use of extemporaneously prepared liquid formulations in children’s hospitals. The study is being funded by the University of Kansas. Here’s the release and a ClinPage story.

The pharmaceutical, biotech, and CRO industries will gather in Shanghai from November 9-11, 2008 for a conference covering China’s fast-growing clinical development industry. China Trials 2008: Global Clinical Development Summit will gather clinical experts from the U.S., Europe and China. Small and emerging biotech companies that have successfully outsourced trials to China will share strategies on selecting Chinese CROs, as well as experiences with the quality and acceptability of submitting the data to western health authorities. Big pharma companies already in China will discuss strategies to refine and improve their clinical operations and interactions with the Chinese regulatory officials. China Trials 2008 is organized by Lychee Group, a specialty media-company focused exclusively on China’s life sciences industry.

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Symbio Research, a full service CRO, has announced the opening of a new Phase I facility. Symbio now has the ability to provide development from Phase I through Phase IV. Located in Michigan City, Indiana, the Phase I unit is a 62-bed capacity facility located inside Saint Anthony Memorial Hospital. The hospital provides an entire floor devoted to the conduct of Phase I studies, ensuring the highest quality medical care and safety standards. Here’s the release.

PPD announced PPD Clicks, a secure website to provide clients with near real-time lab data from its central lab facilities in Highland Heights, Kentucky; Brussels, Belgium; and Beijing, China. Central lab results from all PPD analyzers worldwide are instantly available in a single global database and minutes thereafter on PPD Clicks. The site gives clients immediate, easy access to their single-source global and combinable lab data through a standard web browser. “PPD Clicks is built upon our proven proprietary enterprise application and offers clients a dynamic, scalable and robust platform to meet their growing clinical trial information management needs,” said Agostino Fede, senior VP and head of global central labs at PPD.

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PHT, a provider of electronic patient diaries, said its LogPad ePRO system is now available on the Windows Mobile platform. (Here’s a recent ClinPage story on the shift.) The firm is now offering the HP iPAQ 210, a wireless handheld device with a touch screen. “The LogPad on Windows Mobile reflects our commitment to consistently finding ways to offer sponsors freedom of choice, world-class service, and lower costs per patient,” said Phil Lee, PHT president and CEO. 

TechTeam Global, a provider of information technology (IT), enterprise support and business process outsourcing services, announced the creation of a global center of excellence. The center will focus on high-quality delivery and continuous enhancement of TechTeam’s eClinical support services and will also ensure that TechTeam’s IT outsourcing services, such as service desk and infrastructure management, are aligned with the unique needs of the pharmaceutical industry. The business unit will serve as a clearinghouse of subject matter expertise and best practices, and includes more than 60 people. TechTeam currently supports more than 350 clinical trials in 25 languages across 13,000 sites.

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