H2O Clinical, based in Hunt Valley, Maryland and Northbrook, Illinois-based Pharma Start, have announced plans to merge. The CROs, which provide a range of outsourced research services to the pharmaceutical industry, already have a history of close collaboration. Each company will continue to operate as it has in the past, and there will be no disruption to current operations or customer contracts. 

The combined companies will provide full-service CRO services in biostatistics, data management, clinical operations and medical writing, as well as other ancillary services to the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries.

“H2O and Pharma Start already have a very collaborative relationship,” said Eugenia Henry, president of H2O Clinical. “It made perfect sense to build on this strong and successful relationship by combining forces to grow our businesses in complementary areas.” 

Earl Henry, chief medical officer at H2O Clinical, added, “We’re very excited to offer a full service CRO to the marketplace and our existing clients.”

“The CRO and outsourced pharma contract services market are expected to continue to grow over the next several years,” said Chrissy Fleming, president of Pharma Start. “This growth is a reflection of the ongoing increase in R&D spending around the world and the growth in outsourcing, largely driven by clinical trials becoming more complicated and challenging. Together, Pharma Start and H2O are even more strongly positioned to capitalize on these trends by providing a complete set of premium CRO services to our valued customers.”