Cerba buys Cirion Biopharma citing CRO services as driver
Diagnostics services firm Cerba HealthCare has acquired Canadian clinical research organization (CRO) Cirion Biopharma Research.
The takeover – financial terms of which were not disclosed – will bolster Cerba’s bioanalytical capabilities in biosimilars and biologics development and add to its pharmacokinetic-pharma-codynamic (PKPD) and immunogenicity testing services.
Cerba CEO, Mario Papillon, framed the acquisition as part of a plan to expand his firm’s research and knowledge base.
“I see Cirion as a true strategic step in improving our offering both geographically and scientifically. It deepens our North American presence while featuring sound expertise in PKPD assay development and testing, which is instrumental knowledge for our customers as it relates drug concentration to drug effect.
He added: “their extensive knowledge and unrivaled reputation will naturally make Cirion the Cerba Research center of excellence in bioanalytics across the globe, helping us accelerate fulfill our clients’ needs in the development of personalized medicine.”
Lise Dallaire, Cirion co-founder, predicted the deal would drive growth, commenting that “it is an honor to join the Cerba HealthCare galaxy though their world class clinical research provider: with Cerba Research, we found the perfect breeding ground where our combined expertise and capabilities will help our teams meet the ever-changing scientific, logistical and analytical challenges of clinical studies.
She added, “Cirion scientists and experts are very excited to join Cerba Research in their continuous quest to provide the best possible solutions to serve and improve the clinical trials of our life science customers.”
Cirion has a workforce of over 80 employees comprised of PhD holders, medical specialists and a network of renowned university researchers. Also, according to Cerba, the CRO has a client base that includes some of the world’s top 10 global pharmaceutical companies.
The takeover comes just months after Cirion received a C$600,000 ($447 million) grant from the Canadian Government, which was designed to help it become “more competitive and accelerate its growth.”
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