Quintiles agrees OEC acquisition
Pharmaceutiucal services specialist Quintiles has agreed to buy OEC Services, a Swiss firm which provides drug safety services to the pharmaceutical industry, for an undisclosed sum.
OEC, based in Basel, Switzerland, collects, evaluates and reports adverse effects of drugs in clinical trials and in everyday use. Quintiles, whose operational base is in Research Triangle Park, NC, US, will affiliate the 30 OEC staff with its existing European drug safety operation, which is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
'The acquisition of OEC will enable us to extend our drug safety capabilities throughout the pharmaceutical product lifecycle,' says Jeff Thomis, president of Quintile's European clinical development services.