In an effort to speed up oncology trials in Latin America, PRA International entered into a partnership agreement with Oncopartners, a Latin American oncology development company, and its exclusive partner IBPC, a non-profit oncology research network made up of Brazil’s largest public oncology hospitals.

Under the terms of the agreement, the organizations will align operational processes to accelerate the planning, recruitment and startup of oncology trials. PRA and Oncopartners will also exclusively market each others’ services in the pre-award phase of the studies.

"As drug development timelines continue to be delayed globally due to lack of, or slow patient accrual, this alliance with Oncopartners and IBPC provides PRA with expanded access to patients and Brazil's leading investigators," said Kent Thoelke, PRA's senior vice president, scientific and medical affairs. "This partnership between Oncopartners and PRA will translate into faster study startup, more productive development process, and shorter overall clinical trial timelines for our clients."