"Trident is an important piece in our strategy to build a sustainable CRO business that both satisfies and anticipates the global drug development needs of our customers," said James Ogle, CEO of INC Research. "Trident has established an exceptional reputation in the region with emerging biotechs to local affiliates of global pharmaceutical companies and major principal investigator units. We are very happy to add them to our team."

Founded in 1997, Trident has strategically grown to become one of Australia’s largest, and most respected, CROs with more than 100 employees across three countries, a full range of clinical research services and diverse therapeutic experience. With more than 500 clinical studies completed across Phase I to IV, including over 100 Phase I studies, Trident has achieved an outstanding working relationship with key Phase I units in Australia.

Based on data from the Economist Intelligence Unit, Australia offers significant cost advantages, has a highly efficient regulatory system according to timeline indicators and is a desirable location to conduct early phase clinical trials, especially when compared to the USA, UK, Germany, Japan and Singapore. Australia achieves very rapid study timelines without the need for IND or CTA. For these reasons, Australia is becoming a prime destination for conducting first-in-man and early phase clinical studies. Trident has a leading position in designing and reporting Phase I trials as well as managing the advanced Phase I facilities, fully leveraging the streamlined regulatory process in Australia for clinical trials to drive efficiencies for their customer’s projects.

"The R&D opportunities in Australia, New Zealand and India for cost-effective local and global drug development programs are enormous," said Garth Tierney, managing director and co-founder of Trident Clinical Research, who will assume the role of Regional General Manager, Australasia at INC Research. "We bring to bear the most experienced management team and staff in the region, which underscores INC Research’s on-the-ground capabilities. We look forward to leveraging INC Research’s resources and Trusted Process methodology to enhance our services."