Quintiles has boosted its capacity to support clinical trials across Europe by opening an expanded regional facility, including an 80,000-square-foot central laboratory, near Edinburgh, Scotland. 

The facility, first announced in 2007, consolidates three buildings into a single complex, allowing space for more than 500 employees in the central laboratory and in clinical development services, including project management, regulatory affairs and data management. 

 “We have the latest technology and equipment, testing standards, practices and capabilities. This allows Quintiles to anticipate and meet customer needs and safeguard patient data,” said Tom Wollman, senior vice president, Global Central Laboratories. 

Services in the expanded central laboratory include chemistry, hematology, urinanalysis, serology markers, coagulation, specimen management, endocrinology and biomarkers. 

The facility also houses one of Quintiles’ three assay development labs, specializing in technical transfer of methods and assays, and validation of commercial instruments and assays for research. 

Graham Murray, vice president, Global Central Laboratories, and the Edinburgh site head, said, “We can improve service delivery to our customers and have enhanced the work environment of our employees, who offer professional expertise in multiple therapeutic areas and provide proactive service for clinical development.” 

Including the new Scotland facility, the company said, Quintiles has the largest central laboratory network in the world accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), with sites in Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Japan, South Africa, the United States and Singapore. The expanded facility in Singapore will relocate to another location there later this year. 

Quintiles can perform key central lab functions on five continents, decreasing transportation costs, reducing concerns about import/export permits, providing local investigator site support and enhancing sample stability. 

“We have no current plans to add any new lab locations. We continue to improve our global footprint from harmonization, quality and test menu perspectives. We locate labs wherever they are needed to support pharma's clinical trials based upon sample stability, import regulations and cost-efficient logistics,” Wollman added.