Merck Serono and Quintiles agree clinical development alliance

Merck Serono has announced details of an innovative five-year clinical development agreement it has agreed with the biopharmaceutical services provider Quintiles.

Under the terms of the alliance, Merck Serono will take responsibility for shaping and determining the strategy behind various drug development programmes, with Quintiles directing clinical trial planning and execution.

Quintiles will also contribute to Merck Serono's future study activities, with a focus on utilising optimised clinical trial design, execution strategies, processes and technologies to deliver superior performance.

This is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between a biopharmaceutical company and a service provider that will ultimately help to ensure patients can benefit from new treatments more quickly.

Annalisa Jenkins, executive vice-president and head of global development and medical at Merck Serono, said: "By combining the strengths of Merck Serono and Quintiles, we are creating a new model in clinical development that will unlock the knowledge and insights of both companies."

Earlier this week, Merck Serono was presented with Frost and Sullivan's 2013 European product differentiation excellence award, in recognition of its human growth hormone offerings.