Wilmington-based contract research organization, PPD Inc. marked its 25th anniversary this year. Founded in 1985 as a one-person consulting firm by Fred Eshelman, PPD became publicly traded in 1996.

PPD was one of the first contract research organizations in Wilmington. Pharmaceutical company, AAIPharma was founded in 1979, but specializes in pharmaceutical development.

Since PPD’s founding, a handful of contract research organizations have sprung up in Wilmington. Kendle International, Inc. employs 130 locally and was founded in 2006. Inclinix employs 80 here and was founded in 1999. And, Quintiles Transnational Corp. employs 25 and was founded in 2008.

Today, PPD employs 1,500 people in Wilmington and more than 10,000 worldwide. It has 85 offices, clinics and labs in 40 countries.

“From day one, our commitment at PPD has been to deliver exceptional service, consistent quality and innovative ideas that help our clients and partners achieve their research and development goals,” said Eshelman, executive chairman of PPD in a press release.

The company’s clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations.

“As we enter into 2010, we will continue to build on this 25-year heritage and develop innovative solutions for our clients as they deliver life-changing medicines to patients,” said David Grange, chief executive officer, PPD in a press release.