Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc.

Type: Private
On the web: http://www.ppdi.com
Employees: 11,000
Employee growth: 1.3%

Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD) is on the hunt for newfangled drugs. One of the world's largest contract research organizations (CROs), PPD provides global research and development services to pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies seeking regulatory approval for their products. The CRO offers a broad range of services, from toxicology testing in the earliest phases of drug research, to the management of large, multi-site clinical trials in which drug compounds are tested on human subjects. Its customers have included most of the world's top 50 pharma companies. PPD was acquired in 2011 for some $3.9 billion by private investors The Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2010:
Sales: $1,470.6M
One year growth: 3.8%
Net income: $124.0M
Income growth: (22.1%)

Officers:
Chairman: Fredric N. (Fred) Eshelman
CFO, Treasurer, and Assistant Secretary: Daniel G. (Dan) Darazsdi
SVP Global Business Development: William W. Richardson

Competitors:
Covance
PAREXEL
Quintiles Transnational