WIL Research has acquired Ricerca Biosciences’ pharmaceutical services business in Lyon, France. The 18,000-sq.-m. facility expands WIL Research’s service offerings in Europe and adds to its nonclinical safety assessment capability, as well as expands its portfolio of specialty services. The site, renamed WIL Research Europe – Lyon, will retain its approximately 280 employees. Stéphane Bulle, managing director of the facility, will continue to lead the site with his current senior leadership team.
 
“As we listened to our clients and analyzed emerging trends in the pharmaceutical marketplace, it became clear that expansion of our biologic capabilities in Europe was the right move for us,” said David Spaight, WIL Research’s chairman and chief executive officer. “The Lyon operation leverages our existing capabilities in the U.S. and the Netherlands and creates a powerful new platform to deliver exceptional value to our clients. This definitive acquisition will double our capacity in Europe, strengthen our offerings to clients and enable WIL Research to accelerate the healthy growth rate we have achieved over the past three years in a challenging market environment.”
 
Dr. Michael Placke, president, Ricerca Biosciences, said, “This divestiture will fund significant capital investment into our Concord, OH business allowing us to expand and re-invigorate our integrated drug development services in chemical development, drug substance production, and drug safety and metabolism.”