Charles River Opens Shanghai Facility

Charles River Laboratories International opened its 60,000-sq.-ft. preclinical facility in Shanghai. The new facility is aimed at fostering growth in that emerging market by assisting global and local biopharmaceutical companies with their drug development programs. The new facility is expected to provide Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) services in the first quarter of 2009.
   
The China facility will provide a range of services that are compliant with regulatory agencies including: Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC), Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC), China’s State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the FDA.
   
“As our clients make their initial forays into China, we are creating a center of excellence that embodies global best practices alongside them,” said James C. Foster, president, chairman and chief executive officer of Charles River. “Our clients have come to appreciate and rely on the expertise Charles River brings to their drug development efforts, and the convenience of our facilities in close proximity. The same high standards of research, safety, humane care and good laboratory practices that globally distinguish Charles River are replicated in our Shanghai facility.”