Phastar, a specialist biometrics & data science Contract Research Organisation (CRO), has been shortlisted in the ‘CRO Partnership of the Year’ category at the 2025 Citeline Awards for its collaboration with Medicines Development for Global Health (MDGH), a not for profit pharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of affordable medicines for the people who need them most.
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Phastar was recognised for its collaboration with MDGH through its Phastar Cares pro bono scheme for its support on two double-blind Phase IIIb studies of more than 12,000 participants to progress moxidectin for onchocerciasis. The Citeline Award winners will be announced during an award ceremony at the Downtown Boston Theater District Hotel on 8th May.
The accolade recognises organisations that have established a new standard in collaboration through innovative clinical trial partnerships. Entries were judged on the quality of the clinical trial activity from January 2024 to February 2025.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates 1.5 million people have lost vision due to onchocerciasis. Phastar’s specialists provided biostatistical support which helped to ensure MDGH could achieve its study objectives. Moxidectin is the first new medicine registered for onchocerciasis in more than 30 years and in January 2025 Ghana became the first country to roll out moxidectin in the community-based treatment of onchocerciasis.
Phastar Cares, as part of the organisation’s wider corporate responsibility strategy, has provided pro-bono expertise to Great Ormond Street Hospital, Prostate Cancer Research and Education for Health, providing statistics, data science, data management and programming expertise to organisations that may otherwise be unable to afford it.
Graham Clark, CEO of Phastar, said: “We are incredibly honoured to have been shortlisted for the 2025 Citeline Awards. This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team, and to our commitment to building meaningful, value-driven partnerships that help our clients bring life-changing therapies to market faster.
“By staying truly client-centric and consistently delivering high-quality solutions, we strive to add value at every stage of the drug development process. Our collaboration with MDGH is a powerful example of how purpose-led organisations can make a real difference when they join forces.
“Through the pro bono contribution of our expertise and resources, we supported vital research that has improved lives. We are proud to have played a role in helping MDGH register the first new medicine for the treatment of onchocerciasis in more than 30 years”.