ICON and LEO Pharma join forces on clinical trial mission

Collaboration will concentrate on launching and running studies within medical dermatology

LEO Pharma – a company that focuses on medical dermatology – and ICON have announced a partnership that will enable LEO Pharma to scale clinical trial delivery that is both patient-centric and cost-effective.

The collaboration will also support the company’s wider ambition of building one of the most efficient and effective clinical portfolio in the industry.

In addition, it is hoped that it will improve the lives of dermatology patients with further access to innovative clinical trials and the launch of new medicines. The partnership will operate under the acronym of PACE – reflecting the need to move quickly in order to address modern clinical development challenges.

The name also represents LEO Pharma and ICON’s shared values – Passion, Agility, Communication and Excellence in delivery.

Steve Cutler, CEO at ICON, has high hopes for the partnership: “ICON is delighted to enter this partnership with LEO Pharma that truly takes advantage of our breadth of capability and expertise. We take a flexible and integrated approach when working with our partners, utilising fully outsourced, hybrid and FSP models that complement our partner’s internal capabilities and enable them to achieve their strategic goals.

He added: “It is also motivating for our employees to be working with a partner that shares our values and has a commitment to improving the lives of patients.”

Jörg Möller, Executive Vice President and head of Global R&D at LEO Pharma, explained: “We’ve been exploring several outsourcing models but found a hybrid sourcing model to be the most efficient. Partnering with ICON supports our 2030 strategy as it will help us to bring innovative treatments to patients faster while also supporting a more sustainable business through scalability and flexibility.”

“ICON’s wealth of services and leading position in clinical development will support LEO Pharma’s R&D strategy building on driving innovation through partnerships and support staying competitive,” he concluded.