The clinical research (CRO) market in the United States has attracted the interest of foreign investors looking to build up their platforms overseas. Quotient Clinical, a privately-held CRO based in Edinburgh, Scotland, acquired two U.S.-based CROs in February 2017, in an effort to bring its innovative Translational Pharmaceutics ® platform to America. But this CRO had to change a few hands over the past few years before it could reach acquirer status.

In December 2013, the U.K.-based Quotient Bioresearch Group sold Quotient Clinical to London-based Bridgepoint Development Capital, marking Bridgepoint’s entry into a growing CRO market. Just two years later, in December 2015, Quotient Clinical was passed off to another London-based private equity firm, GHO Capital Partners LLP.

Quotient Clinical Ltd. then expanded to become an all-inclusive drug development support company. Quotient integrates clinical testing with formulation development and real-time GMP manufacturing all in one location, significantly reducing the time and cost of bringing a drug to market. This all-encompassing process is the basis for the company’s Translational Pharmaceutics ® platform.

This year, Quotient has begun an overseas buying spree, in an effort to replicate its Translational Pharmaceutics platform in the United States. On February 6th, the CRO purchased privately-held, Florida-based SeaView Research for an undisclosed price. SeaView Research, also a CRO, offers clinical pharmacology services through its locations in Jacksonville and Miami, Florida, with a combined bed capacity of 320.

A few days later on February 14th, 2017, Quotient Clinical purchased QS Pharma from Charles River Laboratories (NYSE: CRL) for $75 million in cash. QS Pharma is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that specializes in the formulating, developing and manufacturing small molecule drug products.

The combination increases the scale of Quotient’s business to 600 employees with annualized revenues approaching $100 million.

QS Pharma came to Charles River in April 2016, as part of Charles River’s $585 million acquisition of WIL Research. Following a strategic review, the company determined the CDMO business did not fit its portfolio. Quotient Clinical expects QS Pharma will fit into its growing portfolio very well.