WCG, a provider of clinical trial solutions, has acquired The Avoca Group, a life sciences consulting firm supporting biopharma, biotech, CROs and clinical service providers, which is dedicated to improving efficiency, increasing process quality, and mitigating risk in clinical trials. 

With the addition of The Avoca Group, WCG expands its portfolio of services focused on improving patient access to therapies by reducing the time needed and expenses incurred in clinical trials, assisting with regulatory compliance, and quality management. The Avoca Group fortifies WCG leadership in clinical trial benchmarking and analytics, joining the capabilities of previously acquired KMR Group and Metrics Champion Consortium.

Donald A. Deieso, chairman and CEO of WCG, said, “We are delighted to welcome The Avoca Group to WCG. With the rapid pace of clinical trial innovation and virtualization, there are new considerations that must be incorporated into quality management and compliance practices.  Combined with the mounting pressures on the biopharmaceutical industry to increase development success rates while bringing new products to market faster, we have reached a tipping point where quality management and quality by design will assume unprecedented levels of importance to patient communities, regulators, and healthcare stakeholders.  More than ever, it is time that we share critical knowledge, increase collaboration, and improve communication among sites and sponsors as we bolster our collective ability to plan ahead and execute trials in a way that will maximize benefit for our patients.” 

Patricia Leuchten, founder and CEO of The Avoca Group, added, “We’re excited to join the WCG family and to build on the 20+ years of experience in challenging and driving change in the clinical trial execution process.  Our mission aligns with the mission of WCG as a transformative and unifying force for increasing the quality and compliance of clinical trials, assuring that medicines can reach patients faster and reliably.”

Moving forward, The Avoca Group will be known as WCG Avoca, and will retain its leadership structure along with its headquarters in Princeton, NJ.