PPD To Open New Clinical Research Unit In Las Vegas

Offering Clients Expanded Services Working with Both Healthy and Patient Volunteers

WILMINGTON, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC (PPD) is opening a new 24-bed clinical research unit in Las Vegas, enhancing its ability to conduct complex, procedurally intensive Phase I and early development clinical research on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.

“This new state-of-the art operation will provide us with the capability to include healthy and patient volunteers in first-in-human through proof-of-concept trials, which are becoming progressively more complex in nature”

In its location adjacent to the Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican, San Martín campus, the new clinical research unit will utilize the facility’s hospital-based services and medical expertise to meet PPD clients’ needs for early phase trials. The new operation will offer the same extensive experience and world-class quality established by PPD’s Phase I unit in Austin, Texas, but it will support trials involving healthy and patient volunteers, and will utilize registered nurses as part of the subject management team. PPD anticipates initiating its first studies at the facility in the third quarter of 2017.

“This new state-of-the art operation will provide us with the capability to include healthy and patient volunteers in first-in-human through proof-of-concept trials, which are becoming progressively more complex in nature,” said Cindy Doerfler, vice president of PPD’s early development division.

Elaine Watkins, D.O., will serve as the Las Vegas facility medical director. Dr. Watkins is an internist with 25 years of clinical experience and 12 years of experience in more than 200 patient-based early phase clinical trials. As part of her drug development background, she has experience in a variety of disciplines, including neurology, cardiovascular, gastroenterology and medical devices, and expertise in carbohydrate metabolism, glucose clamping and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis/nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NASH/NAFLD) trials.

A global leader in Phase I capabilities, PPD is able to support studies conducted in the new clinical research unit via comprehensive early development services ranging from non-clinical consulting to protocol writing, protocol optimization, project management, laboratory services, monitoring, medical writing, data management, biostatistics and clinical pharmacology. PPD’s expertise and experience conducting complex clinical trials enable effective integrated planning and implementation for its early development clients, as well as the ability to support its clients’ efforts to increase efficiency and accelerate drug development timelines.

About PPD

PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratory and lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 47 countries and more than 18,500 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a firm commitment to quality to help clients and partners bend the cost and time curve of drug development to deliver life-changing therapies that improve health. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com.

PPD Forward-looking Statement

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions, including statements, expectations and assumptions about PPD’s new clinical research unit in Las Vegas, contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although PPD attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based and could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Other important factors that could cause future results to differ materially include the following: risks associated with and dependence on strategic relationships; the ability to attract, integrate, retain and train key personnel; competition in the outsourcing industry; rapid technological advances that make our services or capabilities less competitive; compliance with drug development regulations; changes in the regulation of the drug development process; PPD’s ability to win new business; overall global economic conditions; economic conditions, research and development spending, and outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government-sponsored research sectors; consolidation in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries; loss, delay or modification of large contracts; higher-than-expected cancellation rates; the rate of conversion of backlog into revenue; actual operating performance; risks associated with acquisitions and investments; and the ability to control SG&A spending. PPD assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements in the future, except as required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing PPD’s estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.