Pharma firm Almac backs clinical trials for coronavirus treatment and vaccines
Belfast Telegraph
Northern Ireland multinational pharmaceutical firm Almac is a partner in 11 clinical research trials across the world in the search for an effective Covid-19 vaccine.
The pharma giant, which employs more than 5,000 people in its operations across Europe, Asia and the USA, said it has begun work on supporting 11 separate crucial research projects into Covid-19 treatment options for a variety of global pharmaceutical, biotech and research institutions.
The projects include vaccines and potential treatments for symptoms of the coronavirus.
A further 22 coronavirus-related research programmes are also currently under consideration, according to the company.
“We are supporting this urgent research need through a range of services across our business units, including analytical services, peptide development, expedited interactive response technology (IRT) support and clinical trial manufacturing, packaging and distribution,” the company said.
“These vital projects cover a range of different areas including vaccines and various potential treatments for symptoms and the effects of this disease.”
Although it did not name any of the research partners due to business confidentiality reasons, the firm said that a number of sponsors have turned to them to help speed up Covid-19 clinical trials.
Valarie Higgins, president and managing director of Almac Clinical Technologies, said: “In times such as these, Almac’s mission to advance human health has never been more applicable.
“We stand committed in global solidarity – to do our part in reducing the burden and barriers involved in solving global challenges such as Covid-19 through clinical research.
“We hope that our singular focus on the rapid delivery and support of interactive response technology used in clinical trials will prove to be a catalyst in advancing the research and data acquisition efforts that are urgently needed.
“I wish to thank our dedicated and passionate team who voluntarily worked tirelessly day and night to deliver this vital project and we stand ready and committed to support our biopharmaceutical partners through any means necessary.”
Almac recently spent £20m on expanding its operations facility in Souderton, Pennsylvania.
Its EU headquarters are located just across the border in Dundalk, Co Louth, in order to ensure easy access to the post-Brexit EU single market.
