PPD to Expand in Scotland

PPD, Inc. plans to expand its operations in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, in an effort to meet the increasing demand for its drug development services. The company expects to invest as much as $30 million to expand its offices in this location during the next three years.

The expansion will create approximately 390 additional jobs in biostatistics, data management, pharmacovigilance, product development, and clinical trial management and monitoring. PPD currently employs more than 350 professionals in Scotland at its Strathclyde Business Park.

This investment will include the construction of a new 34,000-sq.-ft facility to be built next to the company’s existing Fleming House offices, which were opened earlier this year and also comprise 34,000 sq.-ft. PPD will continue to retain space at Avondale House in Strathclyde Business Park until the new facility is completed.

“With the biopharmaceutical industry increasingly relying on global outsourcing to speed drug development and reduce costs, demand for our services continues to grow,” said Fred Eshelman, chief executive officer of PPD. “Scotland offers both intellectual and technical resources that make it an important hub for our global clinical research operations.”