Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organisation (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation and a portfolio company of Behrman Capital, has acquired Orphan Reach, a CRO specialised in clinical research related to rare diseases.
Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
This marks Emmes’ second acquisition since Behrman’s investment in 2019 and builds on its recent acquisition of Neox SRO (Neox) in December 2020. Founded nearly 20 years ago, Orphan Reach has its headquarters in the United Kingdom and offices in Ireland, Germany, India, Canada, and the United States. The acquisition expands Emmes’ geographic presence and complements Neox’s operations in central and eastern Europe. The transaction also bolsters the Company’s efforts with commercial biopharmaceutical clients and further augments its market-leading capabilities in rare diseases.
Grant Behrman, Managing Partner of Behrman Capital, says: “We are thrilled with the addition of Orphan Reach to the Emmes platform, which we believe greatly augments the Company’s BioPharma effort and builds on the recent and successful Neox transaction. Orphan Reach enhances Emmes’ momentum and steepens the Company’s growth trajectory through expansion of its geographic footprint and customer base, and we look forward to continuing to support the Company as it pursues organic initiatives and additional acquisitions.”
Dr Christine Dingivan, Emmes’ Chief Executive Officer, says: “Our acquisition of Orphan Reach will accelerate our growth, bolstering our industry leadership in clinical research for orphan and rare diseases. Orphan Reach has an outstanding reputation, with longstanding experience in a multitude of rare disease clinical trials with over 50 biopharma customers throughout the world.
“We believe that Orphan Reach and Emmes will be highly synergistic; we will combine Emmes’ deep strategic drug development and advanced statistical capabilities with the exceptional patient-centred global operations experience of the Orphan Reach team. With more than 7,000 rare diseases identified and only 400 treatments available, this represents a large research opportunity and demonstrates our commitment to advancing public health and addressing unmet medical needs for all populations.”
Orphan Reach Founder and CEO Thomas Ogorka says: “Orphan Reach and Emmes share a passion for the research we do, a dedication to the patients in our trials, and successful, long-term collaborations with our clients. I look forward to this new chapter in our history and to further extending our leadership in rare and orphan disease research that leads to new treatment options for these patients.”
Ogorka and the existing management of Orphan Reach will continue in their current roles.
“I am looking forward to working with Thomas and the Orphan Reach team, particularly as we broaden their research opportunities in the United States,” adds Dr Dingivan. “I am also very optimistic about collaboration between Orphan Reach and Neox and the potential for leveraging our growing global footprint and client relationships.”
In April, the Company announced that Rhonda Henry, a 30-year industry veteran, had been hired to become president of Emmes BioPharma, further reinforcing Emmes’ commitment to expansion in this market.
