First Black-Owned Clinical Trial Firm Launches in South Africa

According to Business Day, a South African newspaper, the first black-owned clinical research organization, the African Clinical Research Organization (ACRO) was recently launched.

ACRO is a joint venture between black-owned Batswadi Pharmaceuticals and LIFElab, one of three biotechnology regional innovation centers established by the government to support the local biotech industry, Business Day reported.

The government’s drive to get multinational healthcare companies to do more business with black-owned local firms presented opportunities for ACRO, CEO Mary-Ann Richardson said.

Richardson added that ACRO would support the range of clinical trials — from Phase I early safety trials to Phase IV postmarket research, once products were approved by regulatory authorities, the paper reported.