Aptuit, a pharmaceutical services company, has reached an agreement on a multi-year extension of its strategic partnership with global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for dedicated drug development work at The Aptuit Center for Drug Discovery & Development in Verona, Italy. The Verona site—formerly known as GSK’s Medicines Research Centre—was acquired by Aptuit from GSK in 2010.

"This multi-year extension of our partnership with GSK reaffirms that our Verona site continues to deliver scientific excellence that is recognized by our customers,” said Timothy C. Tyson, chairman, Aptuit. “Since we finalized our original agreement with GSK in 2010, we have successfully transformed the Verona site from a pharmaceutical research center to a world-class drug discovery and development outsourcing capability."

Tyson explained that during the two years since the Verona site became part of Aptuit it has effectively transitioned to a lean, flexible, customer-focused pharmaceutical services operation. To date, the Verona site has had approximately 50 successful audits and has delivered work for more than 100 clients.

“Aptuit initiatives in Verona, such as Lean Six Sigma, are resulting in productivity benefits across our business lines,” said Tyson. “The high level of quality and regulatory compliance demonstrated in our work has been noticeable to the more than 200 customers who have visited the site since 2010."