CANTEST expands capabilities into clinical services

Burnaby, British Columbia. CANTEST Ltd. today announced that it has acquired controlling interest in Prime Trials, Inc., a Vancouver-based, privately-operated Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in Phase I and IIa clinical trials.

CANTEST’s investment into the company will fund a significant expansion plan:  Prime Trials is expected to double in capacity to approximately 50 beds and relocate to larger premises from its current location on Vancouver General Hospital’s campus over the coming months.

 “Acquiring a majority interest in Prime Trials and integrating a clinic into our range of services is fundamental to CANTEST’s growth strategy”, explains CANTEST President & CEO, Don Enns. “The ability to offer a comprehensive portfolio of Clinical and Bioanalytical services makes us the only integrated CRO in Western Canada and positions us well to capture a significant share of the North American and global pharmaceutical market activity.”

Dr. Jonathan Willmer, Prime Trial’s Chief Medical Officer, adds: “CANTEST’s investment allows us to expand our capacity for Phase I and IIa clinical programs significantly and to prepare for anticipated expansion into pilot studies. Together, we create a powerful combination of highly focused expertise and a broad scope of services supporting the drug development process.”

CANTEST has held an equity position in Prime Trials since 2003. Under the terms of the new agreement, it will increase its ownership to 65% with BIRC Corporation, Vancouver General Hospital and private investors holding the balance.

About CANTEST
CANTEST is a Life Sciences company providing professional analysis and consultation in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, environmental, industrial hygiene and food safety related fields.  Its BioPharma Services division is a regulatory compliant contract research facility, providing testing and consulting services in support of pre-clinical and clinical trials undertaken by pharmaceutical and biotechnology organizations.
The company operates Canadian offices in BC, Manitoba and Ontario with affiliates in the United States and Southeast Asia. To learn more about CANTEST, visit www.cantest.com.

About Prime Trials
Prime Trials is a specialty Contract Research Organization in Vancouver, focused on providing clinical research services to companies conducting Phase I/IIa clinical trials. Privately operated and hospital-based, the clinical facility is well suited for focused, technologically intensive studies. Prime has full-time medical staff with extensive clinical and GCP experience, an extensive database of healthy volunteers, and the ability to recruit patient populations through specialty clinics.

Media Contact:
Don Enns (denns@cantest.com)
Direct: 604 639 2609

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