Catalyst Clinical Research acquired Triangle Biostatistics, a statistical consulting and data management company for pharmaceuticals based in Wilmington and Raleigh, according to an announcement this week.

The acquisition will allow the companies to combine their services and provide a more comprehensive offering for clients, said Nick Dyer, CEO of Catalyst. Officials did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition. 

“Some customers wanted to be able to access the biometric portion of the clinical research so this is where data management and biostatistics and programming services are provided,” Dyer said about why the company acquired Triangle Biostatistics. “They wanted to be able to get that from a single provider as opposed to dealing with multiple different vendors. It was a demand that was coming from the customer base, both existing and potential customers. It was very attractive to obviously respond to that market demand to start thinking about broadening out those solutions.”

Catalyst Clinical Research is a Durham-based clinical research company with offices in Durham and England.

Catalyst, which up until the acquisition focused on clinical operation solutions including staffing resources, has launched a new multi-solution CRO providing a range of clinical development support services, according to the company’s website.

Three founders of Triangle Biostatistics joined Catalyst in senior management roles, stated a news release Wednesday. All employees at Triangle Biostatistics will retain their positions, Dyer said.

“There's an extremely strong continuity for both customers and for employees when the managers of a company buy into the vision and the strategy for the combined entity, “Dyer said. “That’s the nice thing about the combination is the fact that there were two separate focus areas for the organizations, meaning there was really little overlap.”

With Catalyst now having a larger presence in the Wilmington area, officials hope to grow it in the future by potentially hiring more employees.

Triangle Biostatistics has about 100 full-time staff with about 16 of them in Wilmington in an office at 4039 Masonboro Loop Road.

“We certainly have the space to expand if we find good people for the roles that may come after as we expand our offerings and expand that business,” Dyer said. “It's really about finding the best person for the role, but we're very open to expanding in Wilmington.”

One reason for having an office located in Wilmington is the availability of knowledgeable workers in the area, Dyer said.

“There's access to a significant amount of talent in Wilmington,” he said. “It has a high number of very experienced programmers, data management professionals, statisticians as well as clinical operations. We recognize this was an area where we want to have a location and where we want to be a strong employer.”