07/29/2010 04:09:00 PM EDT -- Business Wire

PPD Expands cGMP Laboratory Services in North America   

Builds on Vaccines & Biologics Center of Excellence Launched Earlier This Year

WILMINGTON, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) today announced it has expanded its cGMP laboratory testing services into Wayne, Pa., to meet growing client demand for these services from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies located in the northeastern United States.

The 5,000-square-foot facility will provide small and large molecule testing for a full range of product development programs including vaccines and biologics. It strengthens PPD’s ability to become a single provider of laboratory services for companies working in vaccine or biologics development by delivering exceptional scientific expertise, more streamlined project management and easier logistics.

“Expanding our cGMP laboratory operations into Wayne puts us in close proximity to a large concentration of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies based in the Northeast,” said Magdalena Mejillano, Ph.D., vice president of cGMP lab services for PPD. “This expansion enhances our ability to serve clients in this region more effectively while delivering more flexible resources for onsite staffing programs at client sites.”

To support continued growth, the facility can be expanded to include an additional 10,000-square-feet of laboratory space. PPD has already transferred a lab manager and four analysts from its cGMP laboratory in Madison, Wis., to Wayne and plans to hire an additional 25 people for the laboratory by the end of the year.

In March, PPD launched the Vaccines & Biologics Center of Excellence, a first-in-kind comprehensive network of integrated world-class laboratory services focused solely on vaccine and biologic drug development. The center builds upon more than 20 years of global laboratory experience and allows clients to streamline and customize laboratory services for their biologics portfolios by integrating vaccine testing, bioanalytical, cGMP and global central lab capabilities.

Earlier this year, PPD opened an 18,000-square-foot analytical testing laboratory in Athlone, Ireland, expanding its capacity to meet growing client demand in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

PPD is a leading global contract research organization, celebrating 25 years of providing drug discovery, development and lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 41 countries and more than 10,500 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a commitment to quality to help clients and partners accelerate the delivery of safe and effective therapeutics and maximize the returns on their R&D investments. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com.

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions contained in this news release, including expectations and assumptions about the expansion of PPD’s cGMP services into Wayne, Pa., are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although PPD attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based. In addition, other important factors which could cause results to differ materially include the following: rapid technological advances that make our products and services less competitive; economic conditions and outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government industry segments; competition within the outsourcing industry; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; success in sales growth; loss of large contracts; increased cancellation rates; risks associated with acquisitions and investments, such as impairments; and the other risk factors set forth from time to time in the SEC filings for PPD, copies of which are available free of charge upon request from the PPD investor relations department.

PPD, Inc.
Media:
Sue Ann Pentecost, 919-456-5890, sueann.pentecost@ppdi.com
Analysts/Investors:
Luke Heagle, 910-558-7585, luke.heagle@ppdi.com

Source: PPD, Inc.

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