PPD, Inc. has been awarded a five-year contract to provide comprehensive research management and support to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Division of AIDS (DAIDS). NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services.

PPD will work with DAIDS and its other contractors to facilitate clinical research management that integrates work being carried out by both clinical network and non-network systems, which includes existing trial networks as well as individual investigators in eight regions of the world. Research areas include treatment for AIDS in adult and paediatric patients, strategies to prevent disease transmission including mother to child transmission and development of vaccines, according to a company release.

PPD will provide direct labour support based in the US, Europe, South America, South Africa, Australia, China, Thailand and India. The projected total value of the contract is approximately $245 million, of which an estimated $43 million would be subcontractor costs.

Fred Eshelman, chief executive officer of PPD says, "A programme of such magnitude provides a unique opportunity to assist DAIDS with its global agenda to transform the face of HIV through its international infrastructure, widespread physician training, clinical research and employment of disease prevention strategies."

PPD has supported DAIDS on a number of other HIV contracts since 1990.

PPD Inc. is a global provider of discovery and development services and products for pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies.