This month we celebrate a milestone for Siron Clinical: 20 years of success as a CRO. We couldn’t be prouder of our rich history, accolades and accomplishments that define our business and help us to stand out as a local CRO with a global mindset.
To mark this anniversary, we wanted to take a look back over the past two decades and highlight some of the milestones we are most proud of.
2000 –the company is established
Founder and CEO Jan Balemans moved from his background in Nuclear Medicine and clinical research to the role of CEO of Siron Clinical in the summer of 2000, setting out on a journey that he could not have predicted at the time.
2003 – our first agreement with a US company
Just a few years after the company was established, Siron signed its first agreement with a US company. The project was nuclear imaging of apoptosis in patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC).
2004 – our first employee
Isabelle Momberg started as Siron Clinical’s first employee, bringing with her extensive experience in banking, legal and finance. Today, as Director Group Support, Isabelle manages our day-to-day operations and financial administration.
2004-2005 – agreement with Actelion Pharmaceuticals
That same year, Siron signed a service agreement with Actelion Pharmaceuticals for multiple clinical trials. We started the first pediatric trial in 2005.
2007 – a growing team and first FDA approval
The Siron Clinical team continued to grow, reaching five employees in 2007. Less than three years after signing the agreement with Actelion Pharmaceuticals, the FDA approved the first medication for pediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), called Bosentan.
2010 – agreement with Intercept
We continued our work with US pharmaceutical companies, with an agreement with Intercept.
2011 – first PBC study
The following year, we signed an agreement with Intercept to work on the first ever primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) trial, across Benelux, Germany and Italy. PBC is a leading cause of liver cirrhosis in women.
2012 – Siron celebrates 12.5 years
In the Netherlands, 12.5 years is a milestone to celebrate – and we marked this milestone in style, with the commemorative cow statue in the picture below.
2015 – a team of 35 clinical research professionals
By 2015, the Siron Clinical team had grown to 35. With our combined experience and expertise, we were able to support a broad range of trials in different locations.
2014 – affiliate opens in Belgium
After 14 years of operations in the Netherlands, it was time to expand our operations: Siron Clinical opened an affiliate location in Belgium.
2015 – phase IIIb agreement with Intercept
By now our working relationship with Intercept was strong, and in 2015 we signed an agreement with the company for a phase IIIb PBC study in EU, Israel and Turkey.
2015 – successful FDA and EMA inspections
Later that year, we successfully completed FDA and EMA inspections on the Intercept phase IIIb study, giving us the green light to continue.
2016 – FDA approval for Ocaliva
The trials were going well, and in 2016, the FDA granted accelerated approval for Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) for the treatment of PBC; EMA approval followed later in the same year.
2017 – affiliate opens in Germany
Further expansion came in 2017, when we opened another affiliate in Germany, with Dr. Bernhard Junginger in the position of Managing Director. With a PhD from the Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg, Junginger has 20 years’ experience in clinical research.
2017 – agreement with Aimmune Therapeutics Ltd.
We signed an agreement with Aimmune Therapeutics Ltd., which was founded to address the need for approved treatments for food allergies – starting with peanut allergy.
2017 – Wanda Meijst joins the team
Wanda Meijst joined Siron Clinical in the position of Director Clinical Operations in 2017. Meijst studied Biomedical Sciences at Leiden University, and had an extensive clinical research career of over 20 years before joining Siron Clinical.
2018 –Siron Clinical in the Top 10 CROs in Europe
Pharma Tech Outlook listed Siron Clinical in their Top 10 CROs in Europe.
2019 – eTMF agreement with Montrium
Clinical trials continue to get more complex, and we needed a cutting-edge solution to manage the process. We signed an agreement with Montrium to use eConnect as our electronic trial master file (eTMF) solution.
2020 – collaboration with Clinfidence
Earlier this year, we started a first collaboration with Clinfidence, a data management service provider.
2020 – FDA approval for PALFORZIA
We were very proud to share the news in March that Aimmune had received FDA approval for PALFORZIA, the first immunotherapy for peanut allergy, following the trials we worked on.
Thank you to the Siron Clinical team, whose expertise and experience form the backbone of our work, and to the clients we work with seamlessly every day. It has been an exciting journey, and we are looking forward to many years ahead!
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