US-based clinical research organization Veristat Inc yesterday announced that it would be hiring more local talent at its Taipei unit to support an increase in demand from clients.
The company owns 100 percent of the unit, which it set up at the end of last year. It held a reopening ceremony yesterday to mark its expansion efforts.
Veristat plans to hire 10 Statistical Analysis System (SAS) programmers and two data managers to add to its team of six employees, Philip Ho (何昇峰), director of Taipei operations, told a news conference.
While the Taipei unit has participated in 20 global projects organized by its parent company, it aims to expand its client base in Taiwan and reach out to other projects in Asia, Ho said.
“More projects are expected as more small and medium-sized biotech or biopharmaceutical companies have begun outsourcing their clinical research to companies like us,” Ho said.
“Time is money. It would be a great advantage for companies that want to get ahead and win marketing approval before other companies that are researching similar therapies... Our service could help them speed up,” he said.
“Usually, it takes two SAS programmers to complete the statistical work for phase I clinical trials, but the number of programmers required mainly depends on the complexity of the tests,” Taipei unit manager Henry Ou (歐恒佑) said.
Veristat offers clinical monitoring, clinical project management, data management, biostatistics, medical writing, regulatory submissions and strategic consulting services.
The local subsidiary would initially concentrate on biometrics and programming, and then expand its operations, Ho said.
The Taipei unit is Veristat’s first in Asia, but it has other units in the UK and Canada.
“We favor Taiwan, as there is a lot of talent in the nation. While Taiwan is a business, financial and technology hub, it also has an active pharmaceutical industry, with stable research funding,” Veristat executive vice president of operations Alecia Barbee told the Taipei Times.
The company, which has cooperated with clients focusing on oncology, and the treatment of rare diseases and cardiovascular diseases, is seeking new business partners in the nation, she added.
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