UK site management organization Velocity Clinical Research has expanded operations in Europe, adding five sites in Poland through the acquisition of KO-MED Centra Kliniczne.
The deal marks Velocity’s entrance into the oncology trials sector. According to the firm, KO-MED has been the leading multi-site network in Poland since 2020, having enrolled over 9,000 patients into cancer drug trials.
In addition, the GHO Capital-based drug study contractor has also bought the Pulmonary Research Institute at the LungenClinic Grosshansdorf and KLB Gesundheitsforschung Lübeck, both of which are based in Germany.
Dominic Clavell, European general manager at Velocity, framed the deals as part of a wider effort to expand the firm’s presence in the European Union (EU).
“Velocity is building an integrated network of sites that can change the paradigm and we have the size and scale where we can recruit enough patients, either for entire studies or contribute significantly to country targets in Europe.
He added: “This dramatically speeds up site start-up times, saving considerable time for CROs and sponsors.”
Through the Pulmonary Research Institute, Velocity adds capabilities in bronchial asthma, bronchiectasis, and pulmonary fibrosis. Similarly, KLB Gesundheitsforschung Lübeck, which is located in Lübeck - conducts clinical studies in respiratory diseases.
The new sites join Velocity’s existing four operations in Germany, one in Poland and five in the UK. As a result, Velocity has almost 100 locations globally and access to more than 220 principal investigators and one million patients.
Private equity organization GHO Capital acquired Velocity for $500m in 2021.
Since then Velocity has expanded its network, beginning shortly after the takeover when it added clinical trial sites in the US through the acquisition of Syracuse, New York-based Clarity Clinical Research and Providence Clinical Research, based in North Hollywood, California.
More recently, Velocity bought Impact Research Institute – based in Waco, Texas - and the clinical trials unit of Liver Institute Northwest in Seattle, Washington.
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