TARRYTOWN, N.Y.– The IMA Group (IMA) today announced it had completed the acquisition of Clinical Trials of America (CTA), a multi-therapeutic clinical trials company that brings to IMA four new independent and six embedded site locations in Louisiana and North Carolina.
CTA, based in Monroe, LA, will continue to operate with its existing leadership, investigators and staff remaining in place, led by its former CEO and President Jeb Andrews, Ph.D. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With CTA’s deep therapeutic expertise in cardiology, gastroenterology, dermatology, vaccines, family medicine and psychiatry, the transaction adds scale, enhances diversity and further extends the reach of IMA Clinical Research in the Southeast. It also delivers IMA’s tech-enabled productivity platforms and central services model to additional physicians’ offices. The company’s innovative research capabilities will also help accelerate startup and patient recruitment and offers a broader array of trial opportunities to more patients for additional disease states, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), hypertension, atrial fibrillation, asthma and smoking cessation.
“The addition of CTA is a natural fit for our organization, expanding our clinical network and adding a large, scalable research business that further differentiates us to sponsors and contract research organizations (CRO) for fast startup, quick enrollment and high-quality outcomes,” said Dr. Mark Weinberger, President and CEO of The IMA Group. “Our clinical research division has grown more than 300 percent during the past three years. CTA’s integrated physician practice research model and focus on recruiting diverse patients ideally fits with IMA Clinical Research’s vision and growth trajectory.”
The transaction marks the seventh acquisition the IMA Group’s Clinical Research division has completed since 2018 and the 15th total acquisition within the company in the same period. Previous acquisitions have focused on key regional workers’ compensation IME and case management companies, as well as behavioral health and other screenings and social security disability evaluation companies. The strategic initiatives and organic growth are helping to position the company as one of the leading independent providers of outsourced healthcare evaluation and clinical research services.
“The ability to quickly find the right patients for clinical trial participation, and see those trials through to completion, is critical for researchers today,” said Dr. Andrews. “With our track record and experience, our CTA team looks forward to capitalizing on the unique expertise of our two companies to meet the needs of our participants and research sponsors.”
Dr. Andrews joins the IMA Clinical Research team as Senior Regional Director of Operations. A physician assistant and public health professional by training, Dr. Andrews will continue to lead the CTA sites while serving as a sub-investigator. He also will assist with new site development and principal investigator onboarding for IMA Clinical Research.
