Marken Acquires European Kit Building Operation From LabCorp Clinical Trials

PARIS, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marken announced today that it has acquired the European kit building operation from Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings (LabCorp®) through its LabCorp Clinical Trials division. The new business located in Hamburg offers significant biological sampling kit building with experienced staff. This is the next step in Marken's strategy to provide a full supply chain service to its customers globally.

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The business includes a facility that is currently able to produce up to 60,000 sampling kits each month for global distribution and its experienced staff including project leaders and Quality Assurance professionals will further strengthen Marken's comprehensive, global supply chain project and alliance management capability.

The transaction accompanies a master services agreement with LabCorp Clinical Trials for courier services and kit building supply for clinical trials in certain territories.

Wes Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer of Marken said, "This is an important day for Marken as it perfectly aligns with our global strategy as the leading provider in global life science supply chain solutions. The management and employee base provide unparalleled experience in clinical trial supply and biological sampling kit production."

"This innovative transaction continues our strategic focus on building our global clinical trials capabilities. LabCorp Clinical Trials division will continue to provide global laboratory testing services for our clients, aligning with Marken for kit production and full-service logistics capabilities," said Dr. David Johnston, Senior Vice President of LabCorp Clinical Trials. "As a result, we will provide a more cost effective way to provide the highest quality testing for our clients."

The Hamburg site will be led by Gerit Offenhauser, Senior Vice President of Clinical Trial Distribution for Marken who has extensive experience in central laboratory operations, kit building and related clinical logistics. Mr. Offenhauser has managed the Hamburg facility since 2004.

About Marken

Marken is the leading global clinical supply chain solutions provider dedicated to the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries, supporting over 49,000 clinical investigators in more than 150 countries. Marken integrates Depot and Logistics services into solutions that extend the reach of clinical trials to even the most remote treatment naive geographies.

www.marken.com

SOURCE Marken