Novotech CRO Announces Expansion into South Africa

Novotech, Australia’s largest clinical CRO with offices throughout Asia, has expanded its clinical services with a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa to accommodate increasing sponsor demand for quality clinical research management.

Novotech is an internationally recognized full service CRO known for its experience across 11 countries from Australia and New Zealand through Asia to India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Hong Kong, and now South Africa.

Together with its partner in China, Novotech now provides biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies access to patients from a population base of over 3 billion people

As a leading regional CRO, Novotech has been actively involved in hundreds of drug development programs for US and EU registration over the past 18 years.

CEO Alek Safarian said the expansion to South Africa followed demand from existing USA-based biotechnology sponsors for whom Novotech was already managing clinical trial programs in the Asia Pacific.

“HIV and TB are serious health challenges in some South African patient populations, while metabolic diseases common in the USA and Australia such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension are also on the increase.”

“As the leading market for clinical trials in Africa, there are currently over 1700 studies registered on the South African Department of Health online registry,” said Safarian

http://www.sanctr.gov.za/SAClinicalbrnbspTrials/tabid/169/Default.aspx

“This expansion into a new territory for us is in keeping with our broader strategy of covering emerging markets for our clients. We have been managing trials in South Africa for three years through consultants already, and this experience will put us in good stead for this new operation to make a strong contribution to the group.”