PAREXEL, NEURORECOVERY RESEARCH, INC. ANNOUNCE COLLABORATIVE AGREEMENT
BOSTON, MA, March 13, 2000 — PAREXEL International Corporation (Nasdaq: PRXL) announced today that it has entered into a collaborative agreement with NeuroRecovery Research, Inc. (NRR), formerly Cerebrotec, Inc., to offer pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies access to a sophisticated and integrated approach to clinical research capabilities and expertise in the field of neurological disease. NRR, located in Needham, MA, focuses on the clinical design, conduct and advancement of new molecular and cellular-based treatments to promote recovery from neurological disease, specifically from stroke.
Under the terms of the agreement, NRR will combine its expertise in clinical stroke research and stroke recovery with PAREXEL's worldwide clinical research capabilities, including clinical trial management, data management, biostatistics and medical writing. The combination of NRR and PAREXEL capabilities provides a highly experienced team for the conduct of clinical trials in stroke and related research activities, including site and patient recruitment. PAREXEL's substantial history of conducting trials in stroke will be enhanced by NRR's staff of noted stroke experts, as well as its Clinical Advisory Board of leading American and European academic neurologists.
"We look forward to leveraging our combined assets to maximize results in neurological clinical research for the benefit of our clients worldwide," said Josef von Rickenbach, PAREXEL Chairman and CEO. "The agreement with NRR not only expands our clinical research capabilities in this field, but will also enhance our knowledge base as we work with clients to optimally evaluate new therapies for restoring lost functions to stroke patients."
"Our extensive experience in the design and analysis of stroke trials, and in the preclinical testing of potential new agents to enhance recovery from stroke, complements the existing worldwide services offered by PAREXEL," said Seth P. Finklestein, M.D., Chief Scientific Officer and founder of NRR. "This agreement significantly expands our ability to offer focused neurological clinical consulting services. More importantly, our relationship with PAREXEL will help both companies more effectively promote and advance critical new pharmaceutical treatments in the area of stroke recovery."
NRR is a product- and service-based biopharmaceutical company focused on neurological disease, especially stroke. On the product side, NRR is engaged in the development of new molecular and cellular-based treatments to promote neurological recovery after stroke. On the service side, NRR offers contract laboratory and clinical services to other biotech and pharmaceutical companies seeking to develop new stroke treatments. In particular, NRR offers clinical consulting services on the design and execution of stroke prevention, acute stroke, and stroke recovery clinical trials. Since many stroke trials have failed due to poor design, NRR offers a "focused clinical trial design" approach that emphasizes careful patient selection and appropriate selection of clinical endpoints to match drug efficacy.
PAREXEL is one of the largest contract pharmaceutical outsourcing organizations in the world, providing a broad range of knowledge-based contract research, medical marketing and consulting services to the worldwide pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries. With a commitment to providing solutions that accelerate time-to-market and peak market penetration, PAREXEL has developed significant expertise in clinical trials management, data management, biostatistical analysis, medical marketing, clinical pharmacology, regulatory and medical consulting, industry training and publishing and other drug development consulting services. The Company's integrated services, therapeutic area depth and sophisticated information technology, along with its experience in global drug development and product launch services, represent key competitive strengths. Headquartered near Boston, MA, PAREXEL operates in 44 locations throughout 29 countries around the world, and has approximately 4,600 employees.
This release contains "forward-looking" statements regarding future results and events, including statements regarding expected future growth, financial performance, operations, client relationships, and customer demand. The Company's actual future results may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements contained in this release. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the loss or delay of large contracts; the Company's dependence on certain industries and clients and its ability to retain and expand its client relationships; the Company's ability to manage growth and its ability to attract and retain employees; the Company's ability to complete additional acquisitions and to integrate newly acquired businesses; government regulation of certain industries and clients; competition and consolidation within the industry; the potential for significant liability to clients and third parties; the potential adverse impact of health care reform; and the effects of exchange rate fluctuations. These factors and others are discussed more fully in the section entitled "Risk Factors" of the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 1999.