VWR today disclosed its second acquisition in less than 3 weeks, saying it has bought MESM, a provider of laboratory and medical equipment and ancillary supplies to clinical trials worldwide, for an undisclosed price.

The deal expands VWR’s presence in clinical trials, especially complex global-scale studies, where the buyer reasons it can attract customers through its selection of equipment supply and speed in bringing that to customers.

Those customers, according to VWR, include many of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations—including “a number” of existing VWR customers who currently procure its clinical trial and biorepository services.

MESM focuses exclusively on supporting clinical trials in over 80 countries. The company’s services include equipment sourcing, technical advice and product training, logistics services including import/export compliance, preshipment configuration and calibration, in-study equipment servicing and technical support, and end-of-study equipment reporting, decommissioning, and removal.

Founded in 2007, MESM is an ISO9001-certified company headquartered in Chorley, UK, with a second facility in Lakeland, FL.

“Their focus on equipment supply and excellence in supply chain further complements VWR's growing service offering as a part of VWRCATALYST, allowing us to better serve our customers in achieving their goals by providing end-to-end product and supply chain solutions,” VWR’s president and CEO Manuel Brocke-Benz said in a statement.

VWRCATALYST is VWR’s lab services unit, which now offers procurement and supply management, lab and production support, equipment and instrument services, lean Six Sigma lab process consulting, and “Science as a Service,” in which VWR associates with formal scientific education and experience are available to provide support at customers’ locations, according to their lab research needs.

MESM is VWR’s third acquisition this year. On March 22, VWR bought EPL Archives, a global biorepository services organization, for an undisclosed sum. The deal was designed to augment the buyer’s professional material management services to laboratory and production customers.

On January 12, VRW said it snapped up Seastar Chemicals, a manufacturer of high-purity reagents used in the global research, laboratory, and microelectronics industries, for an undisclosed price. Headquartered in Radnor, PA, publicly traded VWR focuses on providing product and service solutions to laboratory and production customers. They include customers in biopharma as well as industrial, education, government, and healthcare.

Previous articleOctopi Swap Genomic Evolution for RNA Flexibility
Next articleNight Owls Have “Slower” Circadian Clock Gene