North Carolina CRO American Clinical Research Services (ACRS) has rebranded as Elixia, taking on the name of the trial site network it acquired in May.
The move was announced last week, with ACRS framing it as the best combination of its trial recruitment platform and Elixia’s network.
CEO Dustin Owen said “Rebranding to Elixia represents the unification of our diverse strengths under a shared vision. Our integrated approach and expanded reach uniquely position us to address the complexities of modern drug development.”
Raleigh, North Carolina-based ACRS was founded in 2022 by Dallas-headquartered private equity organization Latticework Capital Management (LCM) following the acquisition of Montclair, California-based Catalina Research Institute (CRI).
At the time the firm said CRI would give it capabilities in clinical trials in therapeutic areas like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes and other metabolic diseases as well as central nervous system.
Back then ACRS was focused on metabolic health. However, in the years since it has expanded its geographic reach, range of clinical trial services and areas of therapeutic expertise through acquisitions.
In 2023, for example, ACRS acquired patient recruitment firm, Clinical Site Services and healthcare-focused advertising agency, Patient Advertising Guru.
In 2024 ACRS continued this run of takeovers by buying Elixia, adding clinical trial sites in Missouri, Michigan, Massachusetts and Florida - including a 40-bed facility in Tampa – to existing sites in California and Texas.
Around the time it bought Elixia, the contract research organization (CRO) also hired Owen from Thermo Fisher Scientific/PPD, where he was senior vice president and general manager of Accelerated Enrolment Solutions.
At the time Owen said, "The integration of Elixia not only broadens our capabilities in nephrology but also enhances our collective expertise in neuroscience and allows us to multiply our sites capable of conducting complex metabolic indications.”
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