--- title: CRO Daily News — August 18, 2026 slug: daily-news-2026-08-18-cro site: cro post_kind: news byline: BioBM description: August 18 CRO daily: PrimeVigilance Joins Pistoia Alliance to Advance Pharmacovigilance Standards and AI Safety; Clinilabs Appoints IQVIA Veteran Laura… canonical_url: https://www.cro.directory/posts/daily-news-2026-08-18-cro published_at: 2026-08-18T23:59:15.942Z last_updated: 2026-08-19T00:00:42.503Z --- ### [PrimeVigilance](/companies/primevigilance) Joins Pistoia Alliance to Advance Pharmacovigilance Standards and AI Safety - [PrimeVigilance](/companies/primevigilance), an [Ergomed Group](/companies/ergomed) company, joined the Pistoia Alliance to collaborate on drug safety standards and AI-in-pharmacovigilance initiatives. - The Alliance's 2025 pharmacovigilance projects include an AI in Safety & PV Community of Experts and a Pharmacovigilance Systems & Processes Standards (PS²) project to establish industry-wide interoperability requirements. - PrimeVigilance serves over 500 clients across 160+ countries and brings operational expertise to address rising adverse event volumes and responsible AI adoption in safety workflows. **Operational Impact** CRO buyers relying on [PrimeVigilance](/companies/primevigilance) for post-marketing safety services gain access to emerging Pistoia Alliance standards for pharmacovigilance systems and AI governance, reducing future compliance rework and vendor lock-in risk. *Source: [PrimeVigilance News RSS](https://primevigilance.com/2026/08/18/primevigilance-joins-the-pistoia-alliance-to-help-shape-the-future-of-drug-safety)* --- ### [Clinilabs](/companies/clinilabs) Appoints [IQVIA](/companies/iqvia) Veteran Laura Shannon as CEO; Founder Transitions to Executive Chair - [Clinilabs](/companies/clinilabs), a CNS-focused specialty CRO, named Laura Shannon (former [IQVIA](/companies/iqvia) EVP and Chief Commercial Officer) as CEO, with founder Gary Zammit moving to Executive Chairperson. - Shannon brings 30+ years of biopharma leadership across large pharma, emerging biotech, and medtech, with a track record building high-performing teams and scaling CRO organizations. - The leadership restructure preserves Clinilabs' scientific CNS expertise while adding dedicated commercial and operational leadership to drive growth and partnership expansion. **Operational Impact** [Clinilabs](/companies/clinilabs)' appointment of a CRO veteran with U.S./Canada regional commercial experience signals intent to expand partnership volume and geographic reach in CNS clinical development, potentially increasing capacity for sponsors seeking specialized sleep, psychiatry, and neurology trial expertise. *Source: [PharmaSource RSS](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/clinilabs-appoints-iqvia-veteran-laura-shannon-as-ceo-to-lead-cns-cro-into-next-growth-phase)* --- ### BioCytics and [LIDE Biotech](/companies/lide-biotech) Partner on PDX Screening for Immuno-Oncology Cell Therapy - BioCytics (Huntersville, NC) and [LIDE Biotech](/companies/lide-biotech) (Shanghai) formed a strategic alliance under MOU to develop PDX screening platforms and companion diagnostics for immune-based cancer therapies. - Initial pilot will generate murine PDX models from BioCytics' IRB-approved human biospecimen collection (NCT00571389) to validate drug resistance and cell death responses in autologous adaptive immune cell therapy. - LIDE Biotech's 2,300+ PDX models across 40+ cancer types and miniPDX rapid assay technology complement BioCytics' cell manufacturing; marks LIDE's first U.S. partnership. **Operational Impact** [LIDE Biotech](/companies/lide-biotech)'s entry into the North American immuno-oncology translational market via BioCytics expands PDX screening capacity for U.S. sponsors developing cell therapies, while BioCytics gains access to LIDE's miniPDX rapid-readout assay and drug-resistant model library to accelerate candidate evaluation. *Source: [PharmaSource RSS](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/biocytics-and-lide-biotech-form-cro-alliance-to-develop-pdx-screening-platforms-for-immuno-oncology-cell-therapy)* --- ### Curavit Acquires [Lindus Health](/companies/lindus-health) CRO Assets to Expand European Clinical Trial Footprint - Curavit Clinical Research acquired [Lindus Health](/companies/lindus-health)'s CRO assets, extending unified trial delivery across North America and Europe. - Combined platform offers decentralized, hybrid, and traditional trial execution with accelerated site activation and remote patient recruitment capabilities. - Transaction positions Curavit as an agile alternative to regional niche providers and legacy CROs for multi-country sponsor programs. **Operational Impact** Curavit now offers unified North American and European trial delivery, reducing sponsor reliance on fragmented regional CROs and enabling faster site activation and patient recruitment for decentralized and hybrid trial models. *Source: [PR Newswire pharma category RSS](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/curavit-expands-clinical-research-capabilities-with-acquisition-of-lindus-health-cro-assets-accelerating-global-trial-execution-for-life-science-sponsors-302854586.html)* ## References 1. [PrimeVigilance News RSS — PrimeVigilance Joins Pistoia Alliance to Advance Pharmacovigilance Standards and AI Safety](https://primevigilance.com/2026/08/18/primevigilance-joins-the-pistoia-alliance-to-help-shape-the-future-of-drug-safety) 2. [PharmaSource RSS — Clinilabs Appoints IQVIA Veteran Laura Shannon as CEO; Founder Transitions to Executive Chair](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/clinilabs-appoints-iqvia-veteran-laura-shannon-as-ceo-to-lead-cns-cro-into-next-growth-phase) 3. [PharmaSource RSS — BioCytics and LIDE Biotech Partner on PDX Screening for Immuno-Oncology Cell Therapy](https://pharmasource.global/content/news/cro-news/biocytics-and-lide-biotech-form-cro-alliance-to-develop-pdx-screening-platforms-for-immuno-oncology-cell-therapy) 4. [PR Newswire pharma category RSS — Curavit Acquires Lindus Health CRO Assets to Expand European Clinical Trial Footprint](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/curavit-expands-clinical-research-capabilities-with-acquisition-of-lindus-health-cro-assets-accelerating-global-trial-execution-for-life-science-sponsors-302854586.html) Source: https://www.cro.directory/posts/daily-news-2026-08-18-cro