PharmaLex Group, a service provider for the pharma, biotech and medtech industries worldwide, has announced a merger agreement with Japan-based Ascent Development Services. Founded in 2017, Ascent works with emerging biopharma companies to understand and overcome differences in practice, culture and language, aiming to assist the strategic and operational integration of Asia into global drug development.
Headquartered in Tokyo, the company employs staff across Asia, including China, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam and provides country-specific knowledge mixed with strategic advice from a global perspective, it says.
According to PharmaLex, the merger offers access to an attractive client portfolio and adds substantially to the group’s global footprint, not only in the Japanese market but in other markets throughout East and Southeast Asia. Ascent will be able to leverage full service capabilities both locally and globally for emerging biopharma companies to fully pursue globally integrated pharmaceutical product development including Asia.
“The merger with PharmaLex provides our existing and future clients with access to a robust set of comprehensive and integrated product development capabilities across the US, EU and Asia,” said John Winebarger, CEO of Ascent. ”With our strong cultural fit and highly aligned strategy, Ascent will continue to provide its unique Japan/ Asian oriented services while leveraging PharmaLex’s complementary services in the US and EU in order to provide support of truly global drug development planning and implementation.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the Ascent team to the PharmaLex Group, and the opportunity to add scale and depth to our developing consulting and scientific affairs services across clinical and regulatory in markets throughout East and Southeast Asia,” said PharmaLex CEO Dr Thomas Dobmeyer. “The merger enables us to continue our goal of providing integrated product development support to customers worldwide, and to serve emerging biopharma companies by integrating East and Southeast Asia into global clinical development programs.”