Houston, Texas-based CRO Pharm-Olam International, along with its sister-company MB Quest, opened a new office in St. Petersburg, Russia. The office is Pharm-Olam’s third location in the country to date, after expanding into Moscow and Novosibirsk. The new office is set to house 20 clinical staff by the fourth quarter of 2008. The company stated it has been conducting studies in Russia since 1997, but was using regional employees to monitor trials in St. Petersburg. 

“Because of the concentration of state-approved sites for research and the continued interest from sponsors, it made sense to establish a permanent office there,” said Eugene Barg, president of MBQ.

Like Pharm-Olam, MB Quest is a subsidiary of the POI Group.  It operates in Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus. It is also a founding member of the Association of Clinical Trial Organizations in Russia (ACTO). Pharm-Olam International Group now has 25 offices worldwide.