ROBERTS PHARMA ACQUIRES NCRC

The US concern Roberts Pharma-ceutical has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the National Clinical Research Centers in the USA (Marketletter March 30). Roberts will pay $6.25 million in cash for the NCRC, and $4.25 million Roberts common stock.

NCRC was founded in 1985, and is a privately-owned clinical trials management organization, which provides services to the pharmaceutical industry with concentrated emphasis on methodologies for the rapid completion of Phase II-IV clinical trials. The acquisition, which is expected to be completed within the next several weeks, is subject to approval by NCRC shareholders and other conditions of closing. NCRC had 1991 sales of just over $6 million.

"This area of Roberts growth was targeted because it addresses the most time-consuming segment of the development process. The Trial Management Organization concept is ready for expansion and, as a result, will greatly assist Roberts' drug development capabilities for its own new drug pipeline," said Robert Vukovich, chairman and chief executive.