Novotech, an Australia CRO with offices throughout Asia, has expanded its clinical services with a new office in Johannesburg, South Africa, to accommodate increasing sponsor demand for clinical research management.

CEO Alek Safarian said the expansion to South Africa followed demand from existing U.S.-based biotechnology sponsors for whom Novotech was already managing clinical trial programs in Asia Pacific.

Novotech has experience across 11 countries: Australia and New Zealand, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong and South Africa. It provides access to a population base of over 3 billion patients.

“This expansion into a new territory for us is in keeping with our broader strategy of covering emerging markets for our clients,” said Safarian. “We have been managing trials in South Africa for three years through consultants, and this experience will put us in good stead for this new operation to make a strong contribution to the group.”