WuXi PharmaTech and PRA announced that they have signed a joint venture agreement to offer a broad platform of Phase I-IV clinical trial services in China, Hong Kong and Macau. The joint venture will provide services including clinical trial monitoring, project management, regulatory strategy and submissions, data management, biostatistics, drug safety reporting, and medical monitoring. The clinical operations of WuXi and PRA in China will combine to operate as an independent CRO and will be jointly owned by their respective parent companies. WuXi will contribute clinical and regulatory experience to the joint venture from its China-based clinical organization. That organization covers all regions of the country and has employees working in 16 Chinese cities, with offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. WuXi will also supply laboratory services to the joint venture through a preferred provider arrangement. PRA offers the venture a wealth of global resources and clinical research expertise, reflected in more than 3,100 studies conducted over the last five years and contributions to 40 approved drugs in several therapeutic areas. PRA will also support the venture with its China-based staff and global technology capabilities, encompassing data capture, trial management and other IT systems. The companies will market the joint venture's services to their respective customers.

PRA announced that it is participating in Alzheimer's disease study that could lead to treatments delaying or even preventing the emergence of symptoms in people destined to develop the disease because of their genetic background. The clinical trial is a collaborative effort involving Genentech, Inc., National Institutes of Health, The Banner Alzheimers Institute and Universidad de Antioquia. The trial will include about 300 participants in Colombia, home to a kindred of nearly 5,000 people who share a rare genetic mutation that triggers Alzheimer's symptoms at an early age. This study has the potential to change patients' lives by shifting the research paradigm in Alzheimer's from treatment to early prevention.

PRA announced the expansion of operations in The Netherlands (NL) and the United Kingdom (UK) to accommodate staff growth and strong client demand for the company's Phase IIa-IIIb service offerings. Located in the thriving city of Utrecht, NL, this new Dutch facility will host 20+ employees and is the first PRA office in that region to primarily support Product Registration trials. Staff from the company's three other NL locations (Groningen, Zuidlaren and Assen) support early development and lab studies.