PPD, Shin Nippon Biomedical Form JV in Japan

PPD and Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories Ltd. have entered an agreement to form a joint venture (PPD-SNBL) that will provide a full range of clinical development services in Japan, including Phase I-IV clinical trial monitoring, project management, site intelligence and activation, biostatistics, data management, medical writing, pharmacovigilance, regulatory and FSP services.
 
PPD-SNBL will combine SNBL’s clinical research division and PPD’s clinical development operations in Japan, and it will have offices in Tokyo, Osaka and Kagoshima with approximately 400 clinical development professionals.
 
The JV will be majority owned by PPD and Ryoichi Nagata M.D., Ph.D., chairman and president of SNBL, will serve as president. The companies also entered an agreement to collaborate on a number of areas outside of the joint venture in Japan, which will involve SNBL’s early stage businesses (including translational research out-licensing business), Phase I services in the U.S. for Japanese bridging studies, specialized neuroscience studies, vaccines studies and biologic studies, Phase I services in Japan, Japanese bioanalysis services, and site management services in Japan.
 
“PPD is honored to be joining forces with SNBL to provide a unique clinical development service offering in Japan for biopharmaceutical clients,” said David Simmons, chairman and chief executive officer of PPD. “PPD-SNBL will be one of the largest clinical development service providers in Japan, both for clients seeking to conduct global clinical trials and also for trials based solely in Japan, and builds on the shared commitment of both organizations to the delivery of high-quality clinical development services.”
 
Dr. Nagata said, “The close partnership between SNBL and PPD offers significant opportunities to promote and strengthen global clinical trials in Japan. In addition, the formation of this joint venture would also assist in completing our plan of building a strong global value chain in the entire drug development process.”
 
The transactions, subject to customary closing conditions, are expected to close in April 2015.