Medical firm PPD set to hire

Beijing - US-based medical research contractor Pharmaceutical Product Development Inc (PPD) is seeking acquisition opportunities and hiring more employees in China to support its growth in the emerging market.

Simon Britton, vice-president of PPD Asia-Pacific Clinical Development, said his company hopes to continue growth in China. The world's leading contract research organization (CRO) has become the biggest medical contractor in China by number of employees after last year's acquisition of Excel PharmaStudies Inc and BioDuro LLC.

According to the company's financial statement, these two deals cost PPD $100 million in cash and brought the number of staff on the payroll to 1,000.