MDS Pharma Services Expands Early Clinical Research Capacity in Lincoln, Nebraska
11 Août 2005 - 3:30PM
PR Newswire (US)
Sixty new beds at Nebraska clinic will meet growing client demand
and enhance leadership position in Phase I research PHILADELPHIA,
Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Pharma Services, a leading
provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, is
proceeding with a 30 per cent increase in capacity at its Early
Clinical Research (ECR) site in Lincoln, NE to satisfy growing
client demand. The expansion at the Lincoln facility will
strengthen MDS Pharma Services' position as one of the largest
providers of Phase I research services, with more than 1,000 beds
at seven facilities in North America and Europe. The current
172-bed Lincoln facility is being renovated to accommodate 60 new
beds for volunteers participating in studies that assess
biomarkers. When completed, the additional capacity will be fully
dedicated to the ECR studies of a MDS Pharma Services client for
the first three years. Scheduled to be completed in the first
quarter of 2006, the $1.2 million renovation is expected to add up
to $6 million in annual revenues. "The additional space will allow
MDS Pharma Services to play an even larger role in the assessment
of biomarkers, which will in turn help all of our clients create
better outcomes in the treatment of diseases," said Jerry Merritt,
Senior Vice-President, ECR. "Among other things, biomarkers can be
used to predict which patient populations are more likely to
respond to a particular drug therapy and to avoid specific adverse
events." The co-location of the new clinical capacity with the
Lincoln site's bioanalytical laboratory will give clients
convenient access to both types of research services. Bioanalytical
laboratories outfitted with 13 mass spectrometers comprise more
than 25,000 square feet at the secure site, and 45,000 square feet
are devoted to ECR services. With the 60-bed expansion, the ECR
capacity will grow to 60,000 square feet. In addition to full
clinical and bioanalytical services, the 120 experienced
researchers and technicians at the Lincoln site also offer data
biostatistics and PK data management. "The additional clinical
capacity at Lincoln reflects the confidence our clients have shown
in our ability to meet their growing need for quality ECR
services," said Michael Butler, group Vice-President, ECR &
Bioanalysis. "This confidence has helped our ECR business grow
faster than the overall Phase I market for the last three years."
In addition to Lincoln, MDS Pharma Services' North American ECR
facilities are located in Montreal, QC; Phoenix, AZ; New Orleans,
LA; and Neptune, NJ. Its European sites are in Hamburg and Belfast.
A previously announced expansion underway at the New Orleans clinic
will add 52 patient beds to the current 80 there, and will be
completed in early 2006. About MDS Pharma Services MDS Pharma
Services offers a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug
discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically
located around the world, the company applies advanced scientific
and technological expertise to each stage of the drug discovery and
development process - Early Stage: lead optimization, pre-IND
research, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical development, early
clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis;
and Late Stage: global clinical development (phases IIb-IV) and
central lab. For more information, visit MDS Pharma Services' Web
site at http://www.mdsps.com/. MDS Pharma Services is an integral
part of MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ). MDS Inc. has more than
9,000 highly skilled people in 27 countries providing a diverse
range of superior products and services to increase its customers'
speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and
disease diagnosis processes. MDS Inc. is a global, values-driven
health and life sciences company, recognized for its reliability
and collaborative relationships as it helps create better outcomes
in the treatment of disease. Find out more at
http://www.mdsinc.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a
day. DATASOURCE: MDS Inc. CONTACT: Liz Parlett, (856) 988-6560,
ext: 18, ; Michael Gross, (856) 988-6560, ext: 16,
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