PMG Research Inc., a clinical research organization with operations in Wilmington, is being acquired by Irish global drug developer ICON plc.

The acquisition, according to a news release Tuesday, “will enhance ICON’s ability to access and engage with investigator sites and patients, helping customers to reduce the overall time and cost associated with drug development.”

PMG Research, headquartered in Winston-Salem, has an integrated network of 48 physician practices and large multi-specialty health care institutions in North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Illinois, according to the release. It conducts clinical trials in all major therapeutic areas but has special expertise in the areas of cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, men’s health, women’s health, neurology, pulmonology, rheumatology and vaccines.

PMG Research officials were unavailable for comment Tuesday afternoon.

ICON, founded in 1990, provides outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, according to its website. The company specializes in the development, management and analysis of programs that support the entire range of clinical development activities. Started with a team of five, ICON – headquartered in Dublin, Ireland – now employs 11,700 people on six continents.

“ICON shares PMG’s progressive views and by combining together we can enhance our ability to scale our know-how, infrastructure, and health care relationships to bring more of the right trials to the right patients,” PMG CEO Jennifer Byrne said in the release. “Together we will enhance the execution of clinical trials and deliver greater value for both the industry and health care systems, forging better and closer connections. The ultimate beneficiary of this work will be patients through lower cost of care, improved clinical outcomes and enhanced patient experiences.”

ICON CEO Ciaran Murray said the acquisition of PMG will help address his company’s challenge of “enrolling and engaging” individuals in clinical trials.

“Today’s acquisition, together with our work with IBM Watson on clinical trial matching, reflects our commitment to enhancing engagement with sites, patients and healthcare providers to take significant time and cost from our customers’ development programmes,” he said in the release.

In June 2012, PMG Research merged with Wilmington-based Inclinix, a CRO that specialized in patient enrollment. The result was known as Inclinix PMG Holdings, which had the capability to both enroll individuals and conduct the trials. At that time, PMG operated four clinical trials facilities in Wilmington.

By November 2012 the local entity had changed its name to PMG Research of Wilmington.