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PPD Rated No. 1 CRO in 2011 CenterWatch Global Site Survey

^{Published on 2011-05-06 05:06:00 - Market Wire}
 

WILMINGTON, N.C.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--PPD, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPDI) today announced it has earned the number one spot among contract research organizations (CROs) in the [ 2011 CenterWatch global site survey ], with 84.3 percent of participants rating PPDa™s overall relationship quality as aexcellenta or agood.a

"We are committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with our global sites through close collaboration between our project teams and investigators"

PPD scored among the top three in 25 of the 29 survey attributes and received the highest marks of any CRO in several categories, including staff professionalism, good protocol design, study initiation, being organized and prepared, and setting realistic project timelines. According to The CenterWatch Monthly, PPD earned the number one spot by focusing on the needs of sites, which include supplying technology and support, providing clear protocols and timelines, and concentrating on strong training programs for clinical research associates.

aWe are committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with our global sites through close collaboration between our project teams and investigators,a said Sebastian Pacios, M.D., senior vice president of global project management. aBy providing extensive training programs for our employees, innovative technologies to aid our sites and clients, and expertise across all aspects of protocol design, we are able to partner with our sites to ensure reliable study data for our clients.a

The 2011 survey marked the first time CenterWatch has conducted a global site survey, and included investigator sites in the United States and Europe. More than 1,200 clinical research professionals completed the survey, which was conducted this past February and March. The survey polled principal investigators, subinvestigators and study coordinators about the quality of their relationships with CROs.

This yeara™s rating follows PPDa™s number two ranking among CROs in the 2010 CenterWatch European Site Survey. In that survey, PPD scored among the top three CROs in 26 of the 29 survey attributes and earned the highest marks for being organized and prepared and for its work style and supportive culture.

CenterWatchis a leading publishing and information services company focused on the clinical trials industry.

PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing drug discovery, development and lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 44 countries and more than 11,000 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a commitment to quality to help clients and partners accelerate the delivery of safe and effective therapeutics and maximize the returns on their R&D investments. For more information, visit [ www.ppdi.com ].

Except for historical information, all of the statements, expectations and assumptions, including expectations and assumptions about PPDa™s rating in the 2011 CenterWatch Global Site Survey, contained in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Although PPD attempts to be accurate in making these forward-looking statements, it is possible that future circumstances might differ from the assumptions on which such statements are based and could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Other important factors which could cause future results to differ materially include the following: competition in the outsourcing industry; rapid technological advances that make our services less competitive; risks associated with and dependence on strategic relationships; economic conditions and outsourcing trends in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and government-sponsored research sectors; the ability to attract, integrate and retain key personnel, including a new CEO; and risks associated with acquisitions and investments. These and other PPD risk factors are set forth in more detail from time to time in our SEC filings, copies of which are available free of charge upon request from PPDa™s investor relations department. PPD assumes no obligation and expressly disclaims any duty to update these forward-looking statements in the future, except as required by applicable securities laws.These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing PPDa™s estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.