Astek enters into exclusive negotiations with Keyrus for the acquisition of its CRO activities, confirming its strategic ambition in Life Sciences.
Astek is accelerating its positioning in Life Sciences and CRO with the proposed acquisition of the Life Sciences CRO business unit of KEYRUS, a recognized provider of Contract Research Organization (CRO) services, specializing in the management of clinical and non-clinical trials for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries.
Strategic strengthening and expanded expertise in clinical trials
The acquisition of KEYRUS’ Life Sciences CRO activities would enable Astek to strengthen its value proposition by offering a comprehensive and integrated offering to its Life Sciences clients, combining clinical expertise and technological innovation.
With more than 230 employees in France, Belgium, Canada, and the United States, KEYRUS’ Life Sciences CRO activities support leading clients in the European and North American markets in the design, management, and analysis of clinical trials. These activities also benefit from a presence in North Africa and India.
The offer covers the entire development cycle: clinical and regulatory development (development plans, submissions to health authorities, methodological design), clinical operations (trial management, monitoring, data management, biostatistics), medical writing, and management of non-interventional studies.
With the proposed acquisition, Astek’s Life Sciences division will gather more than 1,200 employees worldwide and will benefit from the Group’s significant offshore capabilities in Poland and India, which bring together 700 experts dedicated to Life Sciences and biostatistics. Astek’s CRO branch, which aims to regroup all of its CRO brands under a common umbrella, will become a major player in mid-size CRO globally, consolidating the Group’s position in a high-value-added and rapidly evolving sector.
A dynamic of growth and innovation for Astek
This acquisition project is part of the Astek Group’s ambitious development strategy, aiming to exceed €1 billion in revenue by 2027, and is in line with the vision of an agile and innovative Group, positioned in key markets with high added value and high potential.
Julien Gavaldon, Chairman of the Astek Group Management Board, comments : “The proposed acquisition of KEYRUS’ Life Sciences CRO activities illustrates our commitment to becoming a key player in the digital transformation of Life Sciences. By combining our skills in engineering and data science with the expertise of KEYRUS’ CRO activities, we are ideally positioned to support our clients in their clinical, regulatory and technological challenges on a global scale.”
Jean-Christophe Franoux, Executive Director of the Astek Group in charge of Life Sciences, adds: “After the integration of IT&M Stats and Sanoïa, which have strengthened our skills in the digitalization of clinical and non-clinical studies, in real-life health data and in data sciences, the planned acquisition of KEYRUS’ Life Sciences CRO activities complements our know-how with essential expertise to meet the new requirements of the industry. By combining these strengths with our digital solutions, we will be able to accelerate the transformation of clinical trials, the exploitation of real-life data and, ultimately, the marketing of new therapies”.