Norstella has acquired clinical trial intelligence services firm Citeline in a deal design creating what it claims is a $5 billion drug access organization.
The acquisition – plans for which were mooted in June – will see Citeline – which was previously known as Pharma Intelligence – extend Norstella’s reach into the clinical research space according to CEO, Mike Gallup.
"We believe that patient access starts with identifying unmet needs and doesn't end until a patient has a therapy in hand.
"As the industry moves toward highly targeted therapies focused on smaller patient populations, our clients need solutions that provide actionable answers to critical business questions to help bring drugs to market quicker—ultimately helping patients receive treatment sooner,” he said.
The point was echoed by Norstella executive chairman Jay Nadler, who said “this union is an opportunity for both Citeline and Norstella to advance their shared mission of making therapies available to the patients who need them.”
Citeline joins existing businesses Evaluate, MMIT, Panalgo and the Dedham Group to create a $5 billion “pharma intelligence solutions provider” according to Norstella.
According to a company statement the acquisition “will empower pharma stakeholders to identify unmet clinical needs early, construct clinical trials with informed endpoints that support downstream reimbursement decisions, and precisely identify eligible patients for clinical trials.”
Norstella said that combined with Panalgo's Instant Health Data (IHD) platform, MMIT's policy knowhow and Dedham Group's clinical pathway data, Citeline's trial and real-world data will answer questions related to patients, reimbursement and drug safety and efficacy.
Morrisville, Pennsylvania-headquartered Norstella was formed in May with the aim of enhancing “how pharmaceutical manufacturers bring therapies to patients.”
The idea is to create a services business that helps drug companies overcome the patient access barriers that manifest at every stage of the drug development life cycle, from early-stage R&D to commercialization.
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