PHARMExcel receives Top UK CRO Award

PHARMExcel voted top CRO in UK by Life Sciences Review

Life Sciences Review recently awarded PHARMExcel Top CRO in the UK for 2025 for the second year running! The PHARMExcel team is celebrating this accolade wholeheartedly as an acknowledgement of its efforts to create a distinctive niche in the Contract Research Organisation (CRO) industry, one which balances the academic researcher’s objectives with the practical clinical trial delivery challenges and positive patient outcomes.

Top UK CRO puts the patient voice first

Based on industry nominations which are evaluated by an expert panel of C-level executives, industry thought leaders, and the Life Sciences Review editorial board, this award is highly regarded as a Top Achievement in the industry. Yvanne Enever, PHARMExcel Founder and CEO commented, saying: “We are honoured to be acknowledged by the industry and our peers with this award. Receiving recognition for our strategic partnership, patient-centric approach inspires us to keep striving to innovate, while maintaining focus on the bigger picture: that our work could help bring a life-changing treatment to someone who really needs it. I am incredibly proud of the PHARMExcel team for their teamwork and dedication to making a difference.”

In an article published about the accolade, Life Sciences Review notes that PHARMExcel shapes its trials around clinical realities—what’s feasible, relevant and meaningful in practice. It goes further to say that: “What truly sets the company apart is its early and intentional inclusion of the patient voice. Involving patients’ voices from the outset, protocols are not only more aligned with clinical objectives but with the lived experiences of those participating.”

Inclusion of the patient voice is central to PHARMExcel’s purpose and is a principle on which the CRO was founded. Enever’s personal experience of losing her mother to Crohn’s disease, at a time when more effective treatments had unfortunately not yet become available, has always motivated her. Enever has said: “I’m proud that our company is involved in new drug trials, contributing to the development of innovative treatments. Knowing that we play a role, however small, in expanding treatment options for patients and their families gives me purpose and drives me every day.”

Trusted clinical trial delivery CRO for the NHS and academic-led research

PHARMExel specialises in providing tailored, agile and highly quality-driven clinical trial support that assists academic institutions, spin-outs and public health bodies in translating groundbreaking research into real-world patient benefits. While they are not therapeutic specific, the CRO is experienced in key therapy areas including: rare diseases, oncology, ophthalmology and complex therapies. Covering stage 1-4 clinical trials, their motto ‘Together we make it happen’ guides how they work in partnership with their clients.

Echoing this principal, Margaret Irwin, PHARMExcel VP of Global Operations, says: “At PHARMExcel we aim to be a true strategic partner and Life Sciences Review acknowledging this, is a proud moment. Every one of our clients is different and we really take the time to understand their needs and priorities. Our clinical operations team are passionate, experienced and they understand the complexities of clinical research, so they can ensure that we deliver clinical trials to our client’s requirements.”

In fact, when Yvanne Enever founded PHARMExcel in 2009 it was in response to an absence of tailored CRO support, which she identified through her work as an NHS nurse at the Royal Free Hospital in London and through establishing a R&D unit the University College London. Enever found that academic researchers working with limited budgets were particularly susceptible to this gap in support. Her mission was clear: to offer affordable, high-quality research support specifically designed for academic researchers. Since then, PHARMExcel has grown organically and expanded its services to meet the increasing demands of the pharma, biotech, and medtech industries.

A purpose driven UK CRO supporting grant funding to trial delivery

Linked to this founding purpose and mentioned by Life Sciences Review, is the fact that PHARMExcel’s services include assisting researchers to apply for research grant funding. Using their expertise and knowledge of the process, PHARMExcel guides researchers through the complex, time consuming funding application process. This invaluable support is essential in enabling researchers to take their science from bench to bedside.

PHARMExcel works hand in hand with their clients to bridge the academic-commercial gap, ultimately it is this which sets them apart. Achieving this through the combination of expertise, teamwork, strategic partnership and a determination to make a difference, will undoubtedly see this Top CRO winning similar awards in future.

After the funding is secured, PHARMExcel doesn’t step back. It safeguards what matters most to researchers—their science or invention and the potential to make a difference, while at the same time ensuring the commercial milestones are reached.

PHARMExcel works hand in hand with every client— whether it’s a university spinout, a hospital-based research team or a health-focused startup. The goal remains to help bring their products to life and ensure those treatments reach the people who need them most.