Dr. Song Li, Founder & Ceo, Frontage Laboratories

The pharmaceutical industry is experiencing a series of challenges especially in the field of drug discovery and development. With the instances of chronic disease cumulating at a faster pace, the pharmaceutical firms are under pressure to bring new innovative products to the market with increased efficiency. Also, the exploding costs and increasing regulations pertaining to the development and testing of new drugs makes it even more difficult for these entities to addressthe growing need.

Thus, to help pharmaceutical companies in addressing these mounting challenges in the industry,Frontage Laboratories, Inc., a leading CRO in the U.S.came to the forefront. Headquartered in Exton, PA, the pioneering company offers integrated, science-driven, product development services throughout the drug discovery and development process to enable pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to achieve their development goals.

With over 20 years’ experience in the execution of comprehensive Phase I-IIa studies, the Frontage clinical team collaborates closely with clients to develop a unique approach to overcome the challenges of each study, while maximizing efficiency and mitigating risk.

From Humble Beginning to Global Success

The origin of Frontage Laboratories, Inc. roots back to 2001, when Dr. Song Li, set up a testing laboratory in Thorofare, New Jersey with a vision to help pharmaceutical companies overcome their complex drug development challenges through an outsourced solution. Since then, the customer-focused organization has been rigorously working towards its goal and today it stands tall as one of the leading CRO with over 850 employees in both North America and China.

As one of the dominant players in the industry, Frontage Laboratories, Inc.facilitates its clients with a wide array of product development services including drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, analytical testing and formulation development, preclinical and clinical trial material manufacturing, bioanalysis, preclinical safety and toxicology assessment and early phase clinical studies.

With a full suite of standard and customized DMPK (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics), safety and toxicology, bioanalytical, CMC (Chemistry, manufacturing, and controls) and services Clinical, bioequivalence (“BE”) and other related services, Frontage have successfully assisted many leading pharmaceutical companiestoadvance hundreds of molecules through development to commercial launch in global markets.

“We leverage our best practices in study design and execution to advance investigative compounds to drug candidates. Located near NYC, we have access to one of the most diverse study populations and acclaimed medical professionals and facilities to help support each study,” says Dr. Li.

Attributes that Differentiate Frontage

While there are many factors that contributed towards the success of Frontage, one of the core elements that played a crucial role is its “Two Countries, One System” approach.

The preeminent CRO offers integrated, scientifically-driven research, analytical and development services in the United States and China – the two largest pharmaceutical markets in the world. And this uniquely positions the company to address the outsourcing demands from foreign companies entering China as well as Chinese pharmaceutical companies expanding into the United States.

Another key attribute that differentiates the company from its competitors is its ability to deliver value-added technical expertise. Equipped with world-class facilities andstate-of-the-art equipment, Frontage delivers value-added technical expertise and results that meet its customers’ needs.

“We believe that we deliver high-quality services through our focus on technical excellence, which enables us to understand and solve complex scientific challenges such as challenges in drug formulation, data interpretation, and bioanalysis,”asserts Dr. Li.

The continued success of Frontage also comes from theconstant effort ofits highly experienced and professional management team.Most of the senior management team at Frontage has experience with leading global pharmaceutical companies and an in-depth understanding of the markets and the requirements of our customers. In addition to being highly qualified, its scientists are regularly trained on new scientific and regulatory developments.

“Our deep pool of talented and highly qualified scientists is integral to our business. We believe that the depth of our scientific knowledge base is a key strength and the foundation of our reputation and competitive position in our markets,” states Dr. Li.

Apart from these 3 core aspects, itsstrong track record of successful regulatory inspectionsand unwavering commitment to staying true to its core values—quality, integrity, innovation, and care for patients, customers, employees, stakeholders, communities, and environmentalso play a critical role in Frontage’s success story.

Cultivating Strong Relationship with Clients

Being a customer-centric company, Frontage developsa trusted relationship with its clients by clearly communicating and aligning its approach with customer expectations at the beginning of an engagement. The company also focuses on completing projects on time and delivering on budget, while maintaining the flexibility to provide accelerated delivery services as and when required by the customers. Its scientists are well-trained to develop and implement detailed experimental plans for non-standard situations, as well as understand customer needs.

Besides, the partnering approach of the company coupled with its scientifically driven modelensures efficient and high-quality execution and, in turn, enables it to establish stronger customer relationships.

“Our scientific knowledge base, technical expertise, and reputation for high-quality services have been integral to our ability to enter into strong long-term strategic relationships and partnerships with our key customers,”affirms Dr. Li.

The company also strives to attain the client’s feedback regularly through surveys and maintain clear communication with clients through its effective project management team.

Eyeing for Continuous Growth

In the last six months, Frontage has acquired a majority share position of a CMC group in China and set up new labs in China and North America to accommodate growth in the CMC and Bioanalytical areas.After expanding its footprint on China and North America, now the company aspires to further continue its growth and enhance its capabilities to better serve its customers. “Frontage Laboratories will continue to grow its capacity and capabilities both organically and through mergers and acquisitions. Along the same lines, it will also continue to look for opportunities that will enhance its end-to-end discovery and drug development services,” concludes Dr. Li.