November 30, 2011 -- Almac’s Diagnostics business unit has been awarded accreditation for its Craigavon, UK facilities by the Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP), based on the results of a recent onsite inspection.
The laboratory’s director, Richard Kennedy, MBChB, PhD, was advised of the national recognition and congratulated for the excellence of the service provided by Almac.
The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program commenced in the early 1960s and is recognized by the federal government as being equal to or more stringent than the government’s own inspection program.
During the CAP accreditation process, inspectors examine the laboratory’s records and quality control of procedures for the preceding two years. CAP inspectors also examine laboratory staff qualifications, equipment, facilities, safety program and record, and the overall management of the lab. This stringent inspection program is designed to specifically ensure the highest standard of care for all laboratory patients.
President and Managing Director, Professor Paul Harkin commented on the achievement “This accreditation allows us to further support our clients by running clinical diagnostic tests for trial enrichment. This is of increasing importance to our clients and constitutes an important part of our biomarker services”.
About Almac:
The Almac Group provides a broad range of services from R&D, biomarker discovery and development, API manufacture, formulation development, clinical trial supply and IXRS® technology (IVRS/IWRS), to commercial-scale manufacture. Almac provides services to more than 600 companies, including all the world leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors.
The company employs over 3,300 individuals and is headquartered in Craigavon, Northern Ireland. US operations are based in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and California. Almac has now moved into its new North American Headquarters located in Souderton PA.
About the College of American Pathologists:
The College of American Pathologists (CAP), celebrating 50 years as the gold standard in laboratory accreditation, is a medical society that serves more than 17,000 physician members and the global laboratory community. It is the world’s largest association composed exclusively of Board-certified pathologists and is the worldwide leader in laboratory quality assurance. The College advocates accountable, high-quality, and cost-effective patient care. More information about the College can be found at www.cap.org
