Diamond Pharma named best specialist CRO

HARLOW, U.K.—In mid-October, Diamond Pharma Services Ltd., a technical services and regulatory affairs consulting group, received the award for “Best Specialist CRO” at the Oxford Bioscience Network (OBN) Awards, in recognition of the company’s expert services in cell and gene therapy.

The OBN Awards, which are celebrating their 10th anniversary, are among the more prestigious awards given to the United Kingdom’s life-science industry, and this year sported a record increase in entry numbers—up 48 percent from last year’s total.

Diamond provides strategic and operational services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. Within the cell and gene therapy field, Diamond’s services and expertise cover all stages of development, including support for engagement with regulatory authorities, dossier writing, scientific advice meetings, orphan designations, pediatric investigation plans, clinical trial applications, GMO applications and the coordination and leadership for Marketing Authorization applications within the European Union.

Earlier this year, Diamond announced that it supported Kite Pharma Inc. in securing positive CHMP opinion for its breakthrough CAR-T cell cancer therapy, Yescarta. The regulatory team within Diamond Pharma Services supported in all European regulatory activities throughout the development, submission and regulatory authority review of the Marketing Authorization Application. Diamond also played an integral part in the European regulatory approval of the first gene therapy product, Glybera, in 2012.