Wilmington-based Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) is expanding its clinical research efforts with a new facility in Las Vegas.
 
The 24-bed unit will focus on intensive Phase I and early development clinical research on behalf of pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
 
“With the opening of this new clinical research unit, PPD is expanding its early development services to support studies involving complex, procedurally intensive early phase clinical research in both healthy and patient volunteers. This new operation will support first-in-human through proof-of-concept trials,” said Cindy Doerfler, vice president of PPD’s early development division, in an email on Monday.
 
The new operation will be located adjacent to the Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican, San Martín campus, and will utilize the facility’s hospital-based services and medical expertise.
 
“It will offer services ranging from nonclinical consulting to protocol writing, protocol optimization, project management, laboratory services, monitoring, medical writing, data management, biostatistics and clinical pharmacology,” Doerfler said.
 
The new unit, she said, will be located in an existing building that is currently being renovated for PPD. “We anticipate initiating our first studies at the facility in the third quarter of 2017,” she said.
 
Elaine Watkins will serve as the Las Vegas facility medical director. Watkins is an internist with 25 years of clinical experience and 12 years of experience in more than 200 patient-based early phase clinical trials.
 
Meanwhile things have been quiet on the potential sale of PPD.
 
In December, reports surfaced once again that PPD might be in the market for a buyer.
 
Goldman Sachs Group Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Centerview Partners were hired to help PPD find a buyer for the company for $5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported on Dec. 9. Since then the company has not commented on a potential sale.
 
PPD has 1,500 employees and a corporate headquarters building in Wilmington, but the company's reach is global, including offices in 47 countries and more than 18,500 professionals worldwide.