US firm to buy Australian pharma company PPP

Pharmaceutical outsourcing services provider PCI Pharma Services (PCI) has announced its intent to acquire Australia-based Pharmaceutical Packaging Professionals (PPP). The acquisition of PPP, a provider of clinical trial manufacturing, packaging, storage and distribution services, is designed to establishe a presence for PCI in Australia, viewed as pivotal to continued growth and expansion in the Asia Pacific region. Australia is one of the leading countries for Phase 1 studies globally, and with this acquisition, PPP’s Phase I offering also enables PCI to better support customers from early phases of clinical development through to commercial launch.
Located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, PPP is active in clinical trial supply with a comprehensive suite of support services including early clinical phase sterile and non-sterile drug manufacture of investigational medicines, packaging and labelling services for investigational products, as well as logistical services including storage and distribution to global investigational sites. PPP’s expertise supports projects across a range of temperature conditions including controlled room temperature, 2-8˚C, -20˚C, and -80˚C environments, which expands PCI’s existing capabilities in storing, packaging, and shipping Cold Chain products. Experiencing significant demand for its services, PPP is currently undertaking a facility expansion and upgrade to add additional storage and distribution services, labelling and packaging rooms, Grade D manufacturing as well as sterile-fill manufacturing capabilities for Phase II clinical studies.
PPP’s services complements PCI’s global portfolio of clinical and commercial services, including clinical and commercial scale drug manufacturing, packaging and labelling of clinical trial medicines, global logistical services to investigational sites and commercial contract packaging services. PPP’s strong market presence with Phase I units as well as the company’s geographic reach and experience working with US, European, and Asia Pacific customers in countries including China, Korea, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and New Zealand, will allow PCI to continue to grow its capabilities in the region.
“The addition of PPP is significant for our continued global expansion,” said Bill Mitchell, president and CEO of PCI Pharma Services. “The Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, is a very attractive and growing segment in the clinical trials market. Our customers continue to seek new markets both for execution of their clinical studies as well as partners that can support them through the supply chain.”