A trans-Tasman acquisition of a medical trial facility by a Kiwi firm is set to create Australasia’s largest independent, multi-phase clinical research business.
The deal is expected to significantly boost New Zealand’s medical service export revenue, attracting international trial funding from pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States that would otherwise have gone to other countries.
New Zealand Clinical Research’s (NZCR) acquisition of Adelaide-based CMAX Clinical Research and its late-phase subsidiary Fusion Clinical Research unites two of Australasia’s largest and most advanced clinical trial providers, giving international pharmaceutical and biotech sponsors a single partner to conduct studies simultaneously across Australia and New Zealand.
New Zealand and Australia are recognised globally for their rigorous yet responsive clinical frameworks. Together they form a southern research corridor capable of generating the dual-jurisdiction data required by major regulators such as the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency, a step that can significantly shorten global development and commercialisation timelines.
The acquisition doubles NZCR Group’s capacity to more than 150 trial beds across Auckland, Christchurch and Adelaide, enabling parallel recruitment across a combined population base of 30 million people. The expansion strengthens the region’s ability to support trials in rare or complex conditions where participant numbers are limited, while also increasing opportunities for staff exchanges and collaboration across both countries.
Tony Moffatt, NZCR group chief executive, says the purchase is expected to help reduce approval and trial timelines for next-generation therapies by combining both New Zealand and Australia’s global reputation for efficient, high quality clinical studies.
“Both countries’ ethics approval processes are among the most efficient in the world, often taking weeks rather than months. For emerging biotech companies operating between funding rounds, that efficiency can be the difference between progressing a molecule and losing momentum altogether. When we combine both New Zealand and Australia’s research capacity, it gives our pharmaceutical partners a more reliable and high-quality path to global regulatory approval.”
“Our business is about delivering high-quality clinical trial data more efficiently and by bringing world-leading research physicians together in both countries, across the combined population scale, we can help get new medicines to market sooner, and that means better outcomes for patients worldwide.”
Moffatt says global partners often need trial results from multiple medical jurisdictions for regulatory approval. With CMAX joining NZCR, the same study can now be run across both countries through a single provider, increasing the pool of eligible participants and bringing more trials to local patients.
Moffatt says this combined capability will also expand opportunities for New Zealanders to access emerging treatments earlier.
“Every dollar we earn comes from offshore partners. This acquisition not only increases export revenue but also attracts more research investment and skilled scientific jobs into New Zealand and Australia. It strengthens New Zealand’s position as a high-value service exporter in the global life sciences market and will deliver lasting economic benefits through the expansion of our clinical research sector.”
NZCR was formed in 2020 through the merger of Christchurch Clinical Studies Trust and Auckland Clinical Studies, both long-established leaders in early-phase human research. The company expanded further in 2023 through its acquisition of Optimal Clinical Trials, which specialises in later phase outpatient studies. Together, the NZCR Group has delivered more than 1,700 clinical trials across all phases.
Led by NZCR’s Chief Medical Advisor Professor Ed Gane, NZCR played a key role in the development of a cure for Hepatitis C. For several years, NZCR meticulously trialled various combinations of antivirals, ultimately achieving the groundbreaking result that today means millions of Hepatitis C sufferers worldwide have been cured of this life-threatening disease.
Established in 1993, CMAX is Australia’s second largest, and longest standing, phase 1 unit, having completed more than 800 clinical trials, including over 200 First-In-Human studies. The addition of CMAX and Fusion gives the combined group unmatched early, and late-phase capability across both medical jurisdictions.
The CMAX and Fusion operations will continue to trade under their existing brand names and retain their experienced teams, while becoming divisions of the NZCR Group.