WCG Acquires Waife & Associates, Inc.

WIRB-Copernicus Group's (WCG) Clinical Services Division has announced the acquisition of Waife & Associates, Inc. (W&A), which has been providing management consulting services for biopharmaceutical clinical research clients for 26 years. W&A focuses on making clinical development more efficient and productive through improvements in organization, process and technology. The company has served more than 200 clients worldwide, including biopharmaceutical research sponsors, clinical research organizations (CROs), technology vendors and investors. Its services include clinical operations process improvement, information technology strategy and implementation management, service/product vendor selection and oversight, pharmacovigilance process improvement, and virtual executive management. With this acquisition, W&A's Founder Ronald S. Waife becomes WCG's Chief Management Consulting Officer.

"With this acquisition, WCG has taken another important step toward its goal of providing comprehensive transformational services to those conducting clinical trials," said Donald A. Deieso, PhD, Executive Chairman and CEO of WCG. "We have long recognized that research sites and sponsors universally need assistance in improving the speed and efficacy of their operational processes. We are excited to add W&A's unique expertise, perspective and skills to accelerate improvement in research enterprises. We look forward to expanding the breadth of their market impact and enabling them to draw on WCG's rich knowledgebase of data and resources to inform and enhance the operations of those who sponsor and conduct life-saving clinical research."

"Ron Waife has led an outstanding international team for many years and has been recognized by the industry for his leadership in strategies, technology and execution. We are very excited to add him and his team to WCG," said Dr. Deieso.

W&A provides analysis and implements recommendations to address a range of organizational and technology questions which accrue throughout the clinical development process. The company's pragmatic operations focus, combined with senior domain expertise, have helped it stand out from its competitors.  

W&A first highlighted the importance of the relationship between operational processes and the success of information technology in the clinical research industry in the 1990s as it related to the industry's adoption of electronic data capture (EDC) and electronic clinical outcomes assessment (eCOA). W&A has worked in all clinical research technology domains, as well as on organizational issues such as structure, staffing, outsourcing, vendor management, process evaluation and market positioning for service providers.

"We are greatly pleased to join WCG, which is demonstrating a true commitment to innovation and transformation in drug development," said W&A Founder Ronald S. Waife. "The possibilities this offers us to expand our contributions, and create new opportunities for new solutions, is very exciting to us."

Like WCG's previous acquisitions, W&A will continue to operate independently and retain its headquarters in Needham, MA. Financial details about this transaction were not disclosed.