Pharmaceutical Product Development
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| Type | Public (NASDAQ: PPDI) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, North Carolina; employees in 43 countries |
| Key people | Founder and Executive Chairman Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D. Chief Executive Officer David L. Grange |
| Industry | Contract Research Organizations Pharmaceutical Biotechnology |
| Products | Support services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies and academic and government organizations, including discovery, development and post-approval services as well as compound partnering programs. |
| Revenue | US$ 1.6 billion (2008) |
| Employees | 10,000 (2009) |
| Website | www.ppdi.com |
Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD, Inc.) (NASDAQ: PPDI) is a leading global contract research organization (CRO) providing discovery, development and post-approval services as well as compound partnering programs. The company’s clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations.[1] While PPD is mainly known for conducting all aspects of drug development for its clients, it also invests directly in developing new products through its compound partnering program. [2]
Contents |
[edit] History
PPD was founded by Fred Eshelman, Pharm.D., as a one-person consulting firm in 1985.[3] The following year he expanded the company's scope to include development services and relocated operations from Maryland to North Carolina.
[edit] Location
PPD is headquartered in Wilmington, N.C. The company has approximately 10,500 employees in 48 countries.[1]
[edit] Operations
PPD operates in two main segments: development services and discovery sciences/compound partnering.[4] PPD has also forged strategic alliances with various biopharmaceutical companies and consulting firms in key areas of drug development.[5]
[edit] Development Services
PPD provides clinical development and post-approval services for biopharmaceuticals and devices. In addition to offering full service Phase II-IIIb clinical studies for multinational regulatory submissions, PPD provides bioanalytical, cGMP product analysis, global central laboratory, and vaccines and biologics lab services. PPD has a 300-bed healthy volunteer (Phase I) clinic and a dental research clinic in Austin, Texas.
The company’s post-approval services include epidemiology, risk management and outcomes research; late-stage trials; medical information; product safety; registries and observational studies.
PPD offers also clinical data management and information solutions, including consulting and proprietary software tools to speed collection, analysis and reporting of clinical data.[6]
[edit] Discovery Sciences/Compound Partnering
The discovery sciences segment offers biomarker discovery services, nonclinical development and preclinical services.[6]Through its compound partnering program, it also seeks to in-license early-stage compounds, take them through proof of concept, and out-license them to its partners for late clinical testing and commercialization. PPD shares in the risks and rewards of bringing a drug to market, gaining revenues generated by licensing fees, milestone payments and commercial royalties.
[edit] References
1. “About PPD” Web page at http://www.ppdi.com/about_ppd/
2. “Limits to Growth?” article in PharmTech May 2, 2009 at http://pharmtech.findpharma.com/pharmtech/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=596055
3. “Company History” Web page at http://www.ppdi.com/about_ppd/history.htm
4. “Pharmaceutical Product Development” Web page at http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?rpc=66&symbol=PPDI.O
5. “Strategic Alliances” Web page at http://www.ppdi.com/about_ppd/strategic_alliances/home.htm
6. “Quick Facts about PPD” PDF at http://www.ppdi.com/news_events/pdf/08_PPD_Media_Backgrounder.pdf
[edit] External links
PPD Web site (http://www.ppdi.com)
Reuters Web site (http://www.reuters.com)
PharmTech Web site (http://www.pharmtech.com)
BusinessWeek Web site (http://www.businessweek.com)
