MDS Pharma Services Expands Presence in Latin America with Sao Pa...( KING OF PRUSSIA PA Jan. 28 / MDS ...),Health

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDS Pharma Services, a leading provider of innovative drug discovery and development solutions, has established an office in Sao Paulo, Brazil, to provide expanded capabilities in global clinical trial management. The new office joins nearly two dozen other MDS Pharma Services late stage clinical trial management offices in 21 countries in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America. The opening of the Sao Paulo office is a clear indicator of the growing importance of Latin America to the drug development industry and of MDS Pharma Services' commitment to offer its clients the advantages of conducting trials in the region.

"Our new office in Sao Paulo is a key component of our global expansion strategy. It allows MDS Pharma Services to provide clients access to a large diverse pool of clinical trial participants and abundant healthcare resources, including more than 237,000 qualified physicians and more than 46,000 health institutions," said MDS Pharma Services President David Spaight. "Thanks to this excellent infrastructure, clinical trials in Brazil have an impressive track record of strong enrollment rates and good patient compliance and retention. These are critical factors in allowing us to fulfill the MDS Pharma Services brand promise to deliver high-quality, on-time service to clients."

In addition to the new office in Brazil, MDS Pharma Services also offers clinical trial monitoring services from Latin American offices in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and Mexico City, Mexico. Since 2002, the MDS Pharma Services team in Latin America has conducted 33 global studies in focus areas such as oncology, metabolic disorders, cardiovascular, vaccines and infectious diseases.

Drug development activity has exploded in Brazil, which experienced a 1000 percent increase in clinical trials between 1995 and 2000. It is estimated that 645 Phase I-IV cl
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