Company receives highest ranking in independent industry survey.
Dublin, Ireland, October 15th, 2007. ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, has been named the favourite Contact Research Organisation (CRO) to work with in the third annual survey of Pharmaceutical and Biotech companies conducted by William Blair & Company and Thompson CenterWatch. When respondents were asked to rank the CRO they most prefer working with based on critical quality metrics, ICON was the most frequently mentioned.
William Blair & Company and Thompson CenterWatch surveyed executives from 21 large and medium pharmaceutical firms and biotechnology companies. The research report “asked respondents to list their favourite CROs and which qualities they look for when selecting a vendor” and stated “ICON reclaimed its position as most frequently mentioned favorite CRO vendor,” adding, “ICON’s No. 1 position is consistent with our perception that ICON is consistently among the best in terms of quality.”
The survey identified the metrics used to define quality as; delivery within timelines, quality deliverables and budget maintenance. ICON also received the highest ranking from sponsors when they were asked to rate the top three “full service” CROs they preferred working with.
Commenting on the results, Peter Gray CEO of ICON plc commented “We are delighted that our commitment to quality is being recognised by our customers. ICON’s operating procedures and culture are firmly focused on delivering quality information to our clients. We will continue to look for ways to enhance the services we provide and are also pleased that efforts to expand the range of our global services is being well received. We believe the integration of these services can add value to our customers, enabling them to significantly expedite their drug development projects.”
About ICON plc
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 5500 development projects and consultancy engagements across all major therapeutic areas. ICON currently has approximately 5,400 employees, operating from 64 locations in 33 countries. Further information is available at www.iconplc.com