WCG has acquired The Avoca Group, a life sciences consulting firm that provides regulatory inspection support, quality management system design, and quality tolerance and metrics support. The company also conducts market and industry research and provides training for clinical trial professionals.

Avoca’s most recent offering is its Innovation Alliance, a cross-industry collaboration of sponsors, CROs and other industry thought leaders focused on enabling progress in clinical trials.

WCG CEO Don Deieso said mounting pressure on the biopharmaceutical industry to increase its rates of success while also bringing new products to market faster has brought the industry to “a tipping point where quality management and quality by design will assume unprecedented levels of importance to patient communities, regulators and healthcare stakeholders.” He added that Avoca “brings exceptionally strong leadership to WCG and the respect and engagement of top-tier biopharmaceutical companies, CROs and clinical research sites in their work of establishing clinical trial best practices.”