17 October 2018 - - US-based contract research organisation Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) has been awarded a five-year, USD 95.7m contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is one of the largest institutes of the National Institutes of Health, the company said.

Under NIAID's Division of Intramural Research animal care program, Charles River will manage and provide staffing for NIAID's on-site vivarium and related research model operations.

The programme is required to ensure the humane care and use of research models, and the efficient management of NIAID's research model operations.

This contract was awarded on April 20, 2018, and commenced on September 14, 2018. The initial period of the contract runs through September 13, 2019, and it includes annual renewal options to extend the contract for an additional four years through September 13, 2023.

Charles River expects this new contract to generate incremental revenue of approximately USD 18m over the initial twelve-month period, with modest increases in each of the subsequent periods.

The contract is not expected to have a meaningful impact on the company's 2018 financial results because its start date was near the end of 3Q18.

Charles River's Insourcing Solutions business will manage approximately 200 on-site, Charles River personnel to support the NIAID contract, ranging from program management, training, quality control, animal husbandry, veterinary, technical, research, and administrative support staff.

The staff will provide a range of technical and support services required for biomedical research involving multiple scientific disciplines.

The scope of the contracted services includes veterinary medical care, research model husbandry, technical support, data management, routine maintenance, sanitation, transportation, logistics, and administrative support. The services will be provided on location at various NIAID and other government facilities.

Charles River's Insourcing Solutions business offers recruiting, training, staffing and vivarium management services to academic, government and biopharmaceutical clients.

This project will be 100% funded with federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services under contract no.

Charles River provides products and services to help pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, government agencies and leading academic institutions around the globe accelerate their research and drug development efforts.