Quotient Clinical announces second US acquisition: QS Pharma

Quotient Clinical, the early phase drug development services provider, announces that it has acquired QS Pharma, the contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), based near Philadelphia, US, from Charles River Laboratories International.

The acquisition increases Quotient’s footprint in the US and, combined with its recent acquisition of SeaView Research, the specialist clinical pharmacology business, paves the way for Quotient to replicate its Translational Pharmaceutics platform in America.

Founded in 2002, QS Pharma specialises in the formulation development and manufacturing of small molecule drug products, and is capable of supporting customer programs through all stages of development and commercialization. Of particular relevance is QS Pharma’s capability to work with high potency molecules, which is a fast-growing market need.

Mark Egerton, chief executive officer, Quotient, said: "The acquisition of QS Pharma further supports our strategy in the US. Combined with the acquisition of SeaView, we have now increased the scale of the Quotient business to approximately 600 employees, with annualized revenues approaching US$ 100 million. We have proven the advantages of Translational Pharmaceutics, and believe that there are strong synergies with the QS Pharma business. We remain focused on continuing to deliver drug development solutions that save our customers both time and money."

Quotient’s proprietary and unique Translational Pharmaceutics platform integrates clinical testing with formulation development and real-time GMP manufacturing. This innovative approach is increasingly recognised in the industry for reducing clinical development timelines and cutting associated costs. Over 100 leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies have chosen Translational Pharmaceutics to accelerate the development of their products.

Nutan Gangrade, managing director, QS Pharma, added: "We are delighted to join forces with Quotient. Translational Pharmaceutics represents a truly innovative solution that will synergise with our core formulation development and manufacturing services.  We have grown our business successfully on the basis of quality and speed, and will continue to do so as part of Quotient."