Bilcare Ltd, India's one of the leading pharma majors in the drug discovery to market value chain, has acquired DHP Limited, a UK-based clinical trials services provider. The 100 per cent paid-up equity of DHP has been acquired through Bilcare (UK) Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of Bilcare for a total consideration of US $ 5 million. DHP had service revenue of US$ 3 million for the year ended March 31, 2006.

Commenting on this important acquisition in UK, Mohan Bhandari, the chairman and MD of Bilcare Limited, said: "Bilcare has been successful in living up to its commitment of providing a truly world-wide operations network to the global pharmaceutical sector and partner with them in enhancing their speed to market by best in class local management of their global clinical trials."

With this acquisition, Bilcare completes a full circle in establishing global clinical trial services. With the intent of evolving itself into a "life-Sciences Knowledge Partner Matrix" (KPM), Bilcare channelised its research and innovations competencies in meeting its first phase objective of establishing a truly global capability in one of the most critical activities in the pharma value chain Clinical Trials Services (CTS).

DHP Limited has its operations in Powys, UK and is an independent company with over 15 years of dedicated comprehensive service to the global pharmaceutical sector in the area of Clinical Trials Services. DHP Limited has core expertise in the manufacture, packaging (inclusive of design, randomization and label printing), storage, global distribution count back and destruction services of investigational medicinal products and clinical trials supplies. The clientele of DHP Limited included multinational pharmaceutical companies, leading Contract Research Organizations, publicly (MRC) funded clinical research teams, NHS trusts as well as individual professionals in the private, public and academic sectors. Its operations are approved by MHRA and conform to the EU clinical trials directives for addressing the complete needs of phase I to IV clinical trials. Apart from MHRA IMP manufacturers license it also hold MHRA manufacture and assembly license specials, MHRA wholesale dealers import license, Home Office CD license and plant master file registration with USFDA. DHP Limited has a unique blend of a team of experts for design as well as manufacture, and QP.

Bilcare's focused ambition to be the leader in Clinical Trial Services was initiated with the establishment of a state-of-the-art CTS facility in India in early 2005. The aim was to cater to global pharmaceutical customers, specifically the European based companies. It almost simultaneously expanded its global reach through the acquisition of an established clinical trials business in the USA in the Quarter III of 2005. The USA acquisition was welcomed by the pharma industry leading to Bilcare's getting recognition as their value partner. Bilcare delighted the expectations of the pharma industry by announcing its serious intent of establishing similar capabilities in Singapore and the EU to make Bilcare one of the few players with global servicing capability.

While Bilcare initiated its Singapore CTS operations by integrating it into its materials and research facilities in Singapore, which also has been conferred with the prestigious "Pioneer Status" by the Government of Singapore, the recent UK acquisition has become the most strategic component of Bilcare's conclusive step towards converting Bilcare's clinical trial services into a truly global activity.