Agility-PSR, the partnership between Agility Clinical, a Carlsbad-based specialty consulting and CRO, and PSR Orphan Experts, a European orphan drug specialty consulting and clinical research company, has been awarded “Best Contract Research Organization” in the 2013 Rare and Orphan Advocacy and Research (ROAR) Awards.

The ROAR Awards were announced during the 4th Annual World Orphan Drug Congress Europe, Nov. 14 and 15, in Geneva, Switzerland. The awards honor achievements by organizations and individuals from the pharmaceutical and device industry, as well as patient and rare disease advocacy communities.

The term “orphan drug” refers to pharmaceutical products developed specifically to treat rare diseases, those affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans or less than one in 2,000 Europeans. Orphan drugs present fundamentally different regulatory and operational challenges compared to their traditional counterparts. Agility and PSR specialize in assisting companies in developing efficiencies and economies of scale to bring innovative orphan products to market, and to help patients and families affected by rare diseases.