Country for PR: China
Contributor: PR Newswire Asia (China)
Friday, March 18 2022 - 11:42
AsiaNet
Led by OrbiMed, HiRO Raised Tens of Millions of US Dollars in Series A Financing, to Offer Multinational Global Clinical Development Strategy
SHANGHAI, March 18, 2022 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

Harvest Integrated Research Organization ("HiRO" or the "Company") announced 
the completion of its Series A financing in the tens of millions of US dollars. 
This round of investment is led by OrbiMed, with the participation from 
existing shareholder, Fontus Capital.

Proceeds from this funding round will be mainly used to accelerate the 
development of HiRO's overseas market entry, grow its talent pool, expand its 
digital clinical research management capabilities, and promote multilateral 
clinical trials in China and the world.

Founded in September 2020, HiRO is an innovative clinical research organization 
(CRO). Headquartered in Shanghai, the company currently has offices in Beijing, 
Taipei, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Led by a management team 
with over 20 years of industry experience working in top global CROs, HiRO aims 
to provide innovative and efficient clinical development services for local 
biotech companies, bringing their therapies to the global market, and global 
biotech companies, introducing their products in China. 

HiRO acquired Pharmaceutical Solutions ("PharmaSols") in December 2021, a CRO 
with over 20 years of experience in delivering phase I-IV clinical trials 
across Australia and New Zealand. Through this acquisition, HiRO makes full use 
of patient resources in Australia and New Zealand to help clients save time, 
reduce costs, and generate quality data.

Spearheading HiRO's growth is founder and CEO, Dr. Karen Chu, who previously 
served as Parexel's Head of Global Clinical Operations. "We are delighted that 
this round of financing has been supported by world-class professional 
healthcare investors whose participation will accelerate the development of our 
global presence by building a robust medical and clinical operations team. We 
are committed to serving all our clients that wish to conduct clinical research 
and development in the United States and Asia Pacific, as it is critical for 
biotech companies to fully understand global complex medical requirements and 
regulatory pathways. HiRO's team will provide customized support at every step 
of the way." 

Dr. Karen Chu further indicates, "2022 will be a year of full of opportunities 
and challenges for the entire industry. Driven by technological progress, 
favorable government policy, and increasing investment in research and 
development, the global biopharmaceutical market is primed to grow rapidly and 
steadily. With unique resources and expertise, HiRO can provide high-quality 
and efficient clinical research services for domestic and global biotechnology 
enterprises."

As the lead investor in this round, OrbiMed global partner Steven Wang says: 
"We are optimistic about the future development of HiRO as a global CRO 
platform. HiRO is adept at understanding clients' needs and navigating the 
complex clinical development process, with an innovative perspective. With an 
experienced team with profound expertise in regulatory affairs and clinical 
trial operations, HiRO will become a one-stop global service provider, from R&D 
to commercialization. We look forward to their achievements and development 
with customers."

Fontus Capital CEO and Founder, Danny Xiang says, "we are glad to be involved 
in this key development process and round of financing because we firmly 
believe in the leadership of Dr. Karen Chu's East-West diversified management 
style. With its highly experienced team and global vision, HiRO will grow into 
a leading company in the CRO field within the next 3-5 years."

About HiRO

Harvest Integrated Research Organization (HiRO) is a China-based, globally 
oriented clinical research organization (CRO) with its headquarters in 
Shanghai, China. With global operations and integration capabilities, the 
company provides its customers with a full range of solutions and services. 
HiRO strives to become a market-leading, integrated global CRO that works 
together with biotech companies and pharmaceutical companies to bring new 
products from laboratory to the market, providing more effective solutions for 
patients worldwide. For more information on HiRO, please visit 
www.harvestiro.com

About OrbiMed

OrbiMed is a leading global healthcare investment firm, with $18 billion in 
assets under management across a range of private equity funds, public equity 
funds, and private credit/royalty funds. It invests across the healthcare 
industry, from start-ups to large multinational corporations. OrbiMed's team of 
over 100 distinguished scientific, medical, investment, and other professionals 
are based in key markets around the world. 

For more information on OrbiMed, please visit www.orbimed.com

About Fontus Capital

Fontus Capital was established in 2015. We focus on life science, specializing 
in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and services around the 
world. Our mission is to improve the lives of patients and offer innovative 
solutions to address the unmet medical needs.

For more information on Fontus Capital, please visit www.fontus.com.cn

About PharmaSols 

For more information on PharmaSols, please visit https://pharmasols.com

Source Harvest Integrated Research Organization