Cerba Research (Ghent, Belgium), a leading global clinical trial laboratory service provider owned by Cerba HealthCare, announced today a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Teddy Clinical Research Laboratory (Wuxi, China), a preeminent central lab provider covering mainland China, to lay the foundation for an in-depth discussion towards the creation of a Joint Venture (JV).
The two companies, along with Cerba Research’s specialty virology subsidiary Viroclinics-DDL, have had a long track record in collaborative projects since 2012, from specialty assay transfers to full clinical trial management and logistics support services. This MoU strengthens the existing relationship by facilitating strategic development of services and operational collaboration at both local and global level. The agreement outlines a natural evolution of the relationship and primarily reflects the increasing demand for broader local capabilities in China within an integrated global solution, therefore offering strong value by creating a gateway for customers to conduct studies in China whilst enabling local Chinese customers to operate globally.
The intended JV will leverage Teddy’s strong reputation within mainland China for high quality central lab solutions, backed with over 12 years of clinical trial experience, with Cerba Research’s market-leading scientific expertise & technical capabilities spanning immuno-oncology, cell & gene therapy, vaccines and infectious disease research drug development.
The formal signing ceremony of the MoU today at Cerba Research’s Ghent office was led by Mario Papillon, CEO of Cerba Research, and Xu Yi, CEO of Teddy Lab, on behalf of their respective organisations. The event was also attended by representatives of the Wuxi Government and members of the executive team for both parties.
Mario Papillon, CEO of Cerba Research comments: “This MoU is an important milestone with Teddy Lab which demonstrates our commitment to expand our footprint into new geographic territories and to best support our global biopharma customers in their evolving needs. We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Teddy Lab that will enable us to build on existing knowledge and increase services within China to support customers with their global drug development programmes. Teddy Lab has been a trusted partner for many years and mirrors our commitment to high-quality, patient-centric solutions. We are honoured by Wuxi’s support and their dedication to pave the way for future and stronger cooperation.”
With today’s MoU signing celebration, Cerba Research and Teddy Lab show their will to serve as a bridge from overseas markets to China, and vice versa. It is aligned with Teddy Lab’s strategy and complementary with Teddy Lab’s geographical presence. We are impressed to see Cerba Research’s success in recent years and confident in the future outcome. Teddy Lab also reached multiple milestones in the past 5 years. Particularly, Teddy Lab Wuxi set up in 2020 with the great help of Wuxi Government. During the pandemic, Teddy Lab Wuxi have supported over dozens of COVID drug or vaccine clinical trials, many of which are working closely with Cerba Research, and as a result, multiple candidates have been approved under emergency use in different countries. I am proud and humble to say that, together, Cerba Research and Teddy Lab have contributed greatly to the fight against the pandemic. We look forward to deepening our collaboration in next decades and contributing more to state-of-the-art clinical trials for efficient medicine to patients’ benefits throughout the world”, says XU Yi, CEO Teddy Clinical Research Laboratory.