Emmes Announces Acquisition of UK-Based Orphan Reach

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Company's Second Major Acquisition Will Extend Orphan and Rare Disease Research Base and Growth Opportunities

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May 12, 2021, 08:30 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that it has acquired Orphan Reach, a company headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in Ireland, Germany, India, Canada, and the U.S. Started nearly 20 years ago, Orphan Reach is a CRO dedicated to clinical research in rare diseases.

This is Emmes' second acquisition in the past four months, following the acquisition of Neox s.r.o., an EU-based CRO, in December 2020. Neox and Orphan Reach expand Emmes' global reach with their international footprints and add a larger and more diverse set of biopharmaceutical clients.

According to Emmes Chief Executive Officer Dr. Christine Dingivan, "Our acquisition of Orphan Reach will accelerate our growth, establishing us as an industry leader in clinical research for orphan and rare diseases. Orphan Reach has an outstanding reputation, with experience in 60 rare disease clinical trials and over 50 biopharma clients throughout the world."

She continued, "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-centered 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 said, "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 company's leaders 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," added 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."

Last month, 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 expand more aggressively in this market.

About Orphan Reach
Headquartered in the United Kingdom, Orphan Reach has built a reputation for outstanding clinical research addressing rare diseases. Created in 2002, the company has management teams in Europe, Asia and the U.S., and supports patients with rare diseases in more than 70 countries. The team's goal is to accelerate access to new treatments in a wide range of orphan therapeutic areas.

About Emmes
Founded in 1977, Emmes is a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization dedicated to excellence in supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation. The company's clients include numerous agencies and institutes of the U.S. federal government and a wide range of biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device companies throughout the world. To learn more about how our research is making a positive impact on human health, go to the Emmes website at www.emmes.com.

SOURCE Emmes