Dublin, Ireland, August 21st 2007. ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, has been rated the leading contract research organisation (CRO) for international project execution in a new survey of pharmaceutical and biotech R&D managers conducted by Lehman Brothers Equity Research Analyst Douglas Tsao.
The company was also rated as a leading CRO in the other key quality metrics assessed, namely overall quality of service and timeliness of database lock, or the point where databases are closed and ready for statistical analysis.
Commenting on the results, Peter Gray CEO of ICON plc commented “We are delighted that the survey has reflected our ongoing focus on delivering service excellence to our clients. Delivering quality projects on time and in budget is our number one priority and as we continue to grow and evolve the organisation we continue to strive to enhance the levels of service we provide our customers.”
Gray added “Given the increasingly global nature of our business, we are particularly pleased that our ongoing efforts to ensure we can execute projects efficiently on a global basis are being recognised.”
To date ICON has conducted development projects in over 50 countries including global mega-trials requiring patient recruitment, investigator site monitoring and simultaneous multi-country coordination. An increasing number of these studies include patients from emerging regions for clinical development, including Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia.
The Lehman Brothers research report stated ‘the survey was conducted to get a better understanding of the dynamics affecting the CRO industry including the factors that drive outsourcing decisions.’
The report went on to say ‘The data from our survey suggests that CROs' ability to execute in international locations is becoming an increasingly important driver for the group and that CROs investing in those capabilities should benefit.’
About ICON
ICON plc is a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. The Company specializes in the strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to Phase I-IV clinical studies. ICON teams have successfully conducted over 1,900 development projects and over 2,300 consultancy engagements across all major therapeutic areas. ICON currently has approximately 5,150 employees, operating from 63 locations in 33 countries. Further information is available at www.iconclinical.com