PRA Health Sciences announces major expansion plans in Lenexa, Kansas

LENEXA, KS – The Kansas Department of Commerce announced today that PRA Health Sciences (PRA), which currently employs 680 people in Kansas, will significantly expand its Kansas footprint with investment in a new 48,000-square-foot bioanalytical laboratory. The company plans to add at least an additional 80 jobs over the next five years.

PRA is one of the world’s leading global contract research organizations, by revenue, providing outsourced clinical development services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. PRA’s global clinical development platform includes more than 70 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and the Middle East, and over 15,800 employees worldwide.

At its new Lenexa bioanalytical laboratory, in addition to growing its bioanalytical and biomarker offerings for both small and large molecule detection, the company is planning to provide services to its clients such as bioanalytical and quality control capabilities as well as pharmaceutical manufacturing and safety testing capabilities. These investments are part of a global growth strategy including a 33,000-square-foot expansion of PRA’s Assen, Netherland bioanalytical laboratory.

“Kansas is a great place for pioneering biotech companies such as PRA to grow, with our low cost-of-living and central location, plus one of the nation’s largest clusters of clinical research companies right there in the Kansas City area,” said Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. “We are thankful for PRA’s continued investment in Kansas as well as the great paying jobs they bring to our state. We look forward to be a part of PRA’s ongoing growth and success here in Kansas.”

As part of its expansion plans, PRA will relocate approximately 90 existing laboratory positions from its current Lenexa location to its new facility located at Strang Line Road, Lenexa. Over eighty new jobs will be created over the next five years. In addition to the new bioanalytical facility, the company will also be investing in improvements to its existing Lenexa location at 9755 Ridge Drive.

“Our Lenexa laboratory is one of two large PRA bioanalytical laboratories providing analytical services for discovery pre-clinical and Phase I-IV studies,” said Peter Ketelaar, Vice President, Global Bioanalytical Services, PRA Health Sciences. “We are excited to build on our success in Kansas and to continue to bolster and draw on the area’s growing biotechnology life sciences sector by adding new technologies and talented clinical development professionals to our team.”

“This expansion reflects our commitment to patients and clients to continue to be a driving force in facilitating and improving the drug development process,” added Jason N. Neat, Executive Director of Bioanalytical Services.

“We are extremely proud that PRA has chosen to stay and grow in Lenexa,” said Blake Schreck, President of the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce. “They are recognized as an industry leader worldwide, and they are outstanding corporate citizens in the community. We appreciate their continued commitment to our city and our state.”