Bayer HealthCare enters long-term partnership with CRS

Bayer HealthCare has entered into a long-term strategic partnership with CRS, a European contract research organisation with which it has been working for a number of years.

Based on the success of their previous collaborations, the companies have formed a broader alliance that will encompass research and development services for early-stage clinical trials.

Under the terms of the agreement, CRS will take charge of Bayer HealthCare's clinical pharmacology units and integrate them into its own network of research centres in Germany, thereby allowing it to extend the range of services it offers.

This move will mean that CRS will be able to benefit from the cardiovascular and gynaecological expertise offered by Bayer HealthCare's staff.

Dr Torben Thomsen, partner, president and chief executive officer of CRS, said: "We're very proud to have built up a relationship with Bayer HealthCare based on trust and proven performance, which will now be elevated to a strategic partnership."

Earlier this month, Bayer announced that it is moving ahead with plans to acquire Conceptus, a leading provider of birth control treatments.