MONTREAL, Jan. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – JSS Medical Research Inc. (JSS), a
full-service international Contract Research Organization (CRO),
announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Integrated
Research Inc. (IRI), a Canadian CRO located in Dollard-des-Ormeaux,
Quebec. The transaction results in the strategic merger of the two
companies with IRI continuing to operate as a fully-owned subsidiary of
JSS.

IRI was founded over two decades ago by Joanne E. Watson M.Sc. and it
provides clinical research support to pharmaceutical, device, and
biotechnology companies. The company’s core service offering includes
study start-up, project management, site management, data management,
and monitoring covering a wide range of therapeutic areas. With
clinical operations as its foundation, and owing to its in-depth
knowledge and understanding of regulatory matters, and extensive
network of experienced clinical researchers, IRI has become a leading
Canadian CRO with an impeccable reputation for providing the highest
quality of comprehensive and flexible study management.

JSS Medical Research was also founded approximately twenty years ago by
Dr. John S. Sampalis a Clinical Epidemiologist from McGill University.
Clinical Research, Medical Science, Epidemiology and Biostatistics were
the cornerstones of the foundation of JSS. Clinical Operations were
incorporated on the scientific foundation and hence the company evolved
as a fully integrated CRO offering services that include strategic
consulting, study conceptualization, study design, protocol
development, execution, project management, site management,
monitoring, data management, biostatistical consulting and analysis,
and medical writing. The company has earned an international reputation
as one of the leading scientific CROs with significant expertise in
pre- and post-approval epidemiological studies.

“This is an important milestone for JSS and IRI as well as for the
Canadian Industry. The merger of JSS and IRI creates a robust and
stable Canadian based and owned CRO that has the critical mass,
expertise and most importantly, experienced senior management that will
offer highest quality services covering all of the scientific and
operational aspects of clinical research. Now a local CRO will be able
to provide the same services as the large multinationals, while
maintaining the intimate client relationships that have contributed to
our longevity and client loyalty over the last twenty years” stated Dr.
John S. Sampalis, CEO and President of JSS Medical Research.

“For our international and global clients, the merger with IRI, in
combination with the recent acquisition of Latam Clinical Trials,
provides significant advantages. We now have augmented our operational
and regulatory expertise across several jurisdictions and expanded the
clinical research team to allow us to easily manage our local and
international studies. In addition, our clients will benefit from our
Quality Assurance Program which has been audited and tested by several
of our global clients” said Ms. Stella Boukas, V.P. Clinical Operations
of JSS.

“From a financial perspective, the synergies of JSS and IRI will provide
our clients with a stronger CRO that can address all of their service
needs with conservative costs. In the current CRO market where costs
are an important second consideration for the selection of service
providers, JSS-IRI will offer competitive pricing at uncompromised
quality. At the same time the merger of the two companies will reduce
overhead and other costs and will contribute to our continued financial
stability and growth” stated Dr. Toni Rinow, CFO of JSS.

“Widespread adoption of outsourcing has changed the clinical services
landscape over the past five years with strategic relationships with
the 10 large CROs dominating the market. Smaller CROs have to adapt
their business strategies to meet the changing needs of sponsors. JSS
Medical Research has pursued its journey in becoming a niche provider
in late phase studies by excelling in scientific methods for conducting
research. We have gained strategic advantage as market leader in Post
Marketing Observational Studies, Health Economic Outcome Research and a
proven track record in medical writing, publications and presentations
at scientific conferences. The merger with IRI will strengthen our
position in Canada and provide the foundation for our continued
expansion while at the same time enabling us to continue to deliver
high quality research to our Canadian and international clients” said
Dr. Sanjay Machado, Executive Director Global Business Operations of
JSS.

“In an industry that is both dynamic and volatile, our growth strategy
is driven by the demands and the needs of our clients. More
specifically, our expansion in Latin America, which began with the
acquisition of Latam and will continue with others in Chile, Argentina
and Brazil, has resulted from the increasing requirements for
epidemiological and post marketing studies by regional health
authorities and payers in these regions. The merger with IRI has also
been driven by the need for a Canadian CRO that can provide
comprehensive high quality turnkey services to the Canadian Affiliates
of International Pharmaceuticals and Canadian biotech companies.
Integrated Research’s philosophy with emphasis on high quality clinical
operations governed by integrity and responsiveness to their clients
was entirely compatible with the JSS Medical Research’s vision”
concluded Dr. Sampalis.

“The pace of growth at JSS Medical Research sees us joining a company at
a very exciting time and being part of this group will enable us to
better leverage our expertise, offering our local and international
clients access to additional complementary services provided by senior
personnel with the highest possible level of scientific expertise and
knowledge in clinical trial operations,” said Joanne Watson, founder
and CEO of Integrated Research. “Both companies’ business ethic is
focused on a commitment to excellence and quality and this philosophy
is only further reinforced by the combination of the two
organizations.”

About JSS Medical Research

JSS Medical Research is a full-service CRO with its corporate office in Montreal, Canada and
a regional office in Colombia. The company offers clinical trial management services in Phase I-IV trials in a broad range of therapeutic areas and is a
leader in Post-Approval Clinical Epidemiology Studies (PACES) including
Post-Marketing Observational Studies, Health Outcomes Research and
Health Economics. Personalized services with one-on-one client
attention from experienced senior scientific and clinical teams have
established JSS Medical Research as a unique niche CRO worldwide.
Currently JSS Medical Research is conducting research studies in over
20 countries around the world for its clients which include the top 20
global pharmaceutical companies.

www.jssresearch.com.

About Integrated Research Inc.

Integrated Research Inc. is a Canadian contract research organization
providing clinical research management services and expert assistance
to pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms worldwide in the development
of their therapeutic agents. Headquartered in Montreal, its highly
skilled team offers a complete range of services and guidance in Phase
II, III, and IV studies, post-marketing surveillance programs, and
Investigator-driven research initiatives. For over 21 years, IRI has
prided itself on meeting the challenges of research by providing
innovative solutions along with the flexibility and professionalism you
expect when outsourcing your clinical research needs.

SOURCE JSS Medical Research Inc.