Covance opened new clinical development offices in Santiago, Chile, and Lima, Peru, and expanded its office in Buenos Aires, Argentina, increasing the contract research organization (CRO)’s presence in Latin America.

The expanded facilities will help the company expedite clinical studies in Latin America, as well as develop strategic relationships with investigators, sites and regulatory authorities in the region, according to Covance, which has operated in Latin America since 1997 when it opened its Argentina office.

Through a network of field-based clinical research associates, the CRO provides clinical trial support services throughout Latin America. The new offices in Chile and Peru will support this network.

“We are committed to continuing to build our infrastructure across Latin America, expanding current facilities, and opening further new clinical offices to increase phase III clinical trial productivity,” said Wayne Langlois, Covance’s vice president and general management of clinical development services, Americas, in a company statement. “These countries offer qualified patient populations and investigators, which help reduce clinical development timeline for our biopharmaceutical clients.”