ICON acquires Firecrest Clinical

DUBLIN, Ireland—ICON PLC, a global provider ofoutsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology andmedical device industries, last month announced the acquisition of FirecrestClinical, a provider of technology solutions that boost investigator siteperformance and study management.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Limerick,Ireland, Firecrest Clinical provides a comprehensive site performancemanagement system that has been used by nine of the world's top 10 pharmacompanies to improve compliance, consistency and execution of activities atinvestigative sites. The web-based solution enables accurate study information,including protocol information, training manuals and case report forms, to berolled out quickly and simultaneously to sites. Site behavior can then betracked to ensure training is understood, procedures are being followed,timelines are met and study parameters are maintained.

"Delivering consistent, real-time information tosites and a clear path to follow in the conduct of trials not only boosts thequality of trials, it also drives efficiencies and improves study timelines,"said Peter Gray, CEO at ICON, in a press release announcing the deal. "We haveworked with Firecrest on a number of trials and have seen firsthand how theirtechnology improves quality through enhanced protocol compliance and drivesefficiencies by reducing data queries and errors at sites. Our combinedcommitment to quality and our shared vision for using innovative technology todeliver more efficient and effective development programs make the companies agood fit."

The acquisition comes at a time when technologyis driving transformation within the pharmaceutical and clinical trialsindustry, added Gary Hughes, Firecrest's CEO and co-founder.

"Leveraging ICON's global presence and deep clientrelationships will enable us to continue to grow and develop new and innovativetechnology solutions," Hughes stated. "We also see real synergies between bothcompanies in terms of technology vision and look forward to combining theexpertise from both companies to drive innovation."