KansasBio has announced a bioscience cluster activation initiative to promote the region’s human health-care-related bioscience companies that serve the entire drug development continuum. Called the National Drug Development Accelerator (the Accelerator), the alliance comprises companies across Kansas and the Kansas City metropolitan area that represent many of the nation’s preferred resources for drug development. KansasBio says the Accelerator offers a full spectrum of drug development services. From discovery to post market, the alliance of companies offers comprehensive assets to bring pharmaceuticals and biotech drugs to market cost effectively and at a high level of quality. “Kansas’ collection of companies is the answer to the emerging outsourcing trend among pharmaceutical companies,” said Angela Kreps, president of KansasBio. “During the last 5 years as pharmaceutical companies have increased outsourcing, and when development budgets are enduring additional scrutiny related to return on investment, our companies are busy bringing the biggest new drugs to market. We will continue to define the value proposition in a tenuous economy.” In the drug development process, where saving one day can mean saving millions of dollars, Kansas service providers have advanced clinical timelines to save pharmaceutical partners days and sometimes weeks. KansasBio cites local companies’ responsiveness as one reason that there are 1,950 ongoing clinical trials in the Kansas region – the fifth highest per capita in the United States. In areas of the state, the number of clinical trials providing access to new treatments has more than doubled during the last 4 years, according to KansasBio. “The Kansas region has a 30-year history of expertise with the capabilities to go from the chemistry bench to the patient’s bedside,” said Michael Beckloff, president of Beckloff Associates. “Our cluster represents companies that have helped develop more than 50 of the world’s top drugs. We can efficiently move drugs through the development pipeline and help pharmaceutical companies maximize market years and return on investment.” Kansas has a decades-long history of drug development and is home to preferred partners for major pharmaceutical companies. The state has one of the region’s greatest geographic concentrations of experienced pharmaceutical development, clinical research and bioscience companies. To learn more about the Accelerator, visit http://www.nddaccelerator.com/.