Charles River Laboratories

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Charles River Laboratories, Inc.
Type Public
Founded 1947
Headquarters Wilmington, Massachusetts
Key people James C. Foster, CEO
Industry Pharmaceutical/Medical Devices
Employees 8,500
Website Charles Rivers Laboratories

Charles River Laboratories, Inc. NYSECRL is an American corporation specializing in a broad spectrum of pre-clinical and clinical laboratory services for the pharmaceutical, medical device and biotechnology industries. It is the world's largest supplier of animals for laboratory experimentation, and has been described as the "General Motors of the laboratory animal industry.[1] It also supplies a range of biomedical products and research and development outsourcing services for use in the pharmaceutical industry. According to its website, its customers include every major pharmaceutical and biotechnology company in the world, leading academic institutions, and government research centers.[2]

The company was founded in 1947 and is headquartered at 251 Ballardvale Street, Wilmington, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area. The chief executive officer is James C. Foster.

With over 8,500 employees, the company has facilities in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

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[edit] Controversy

The company has been the target of animal rights activists in the UK. It ran Shamrock Farm in West Sussex, which closed in 2000 following a 15-month campaign by animal rights campaigners. It also has a large site at Manston Road, Margate, Kent, where it breeds chickens, rabbits, mice, rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and gerbils.

[edit] Mergers

In October 2003, Charles River Laboratories merged with Inveresk, a UK owned Research Company. The Company was then known as Charles River Laboratories. Inveresk specialised in Clinical and Pre-clinical testing, and there main facilities are in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Pre-clinical division known as Charles River Laboratories, Preclinical Services Edinburgh Ltd, and the Clinical Division, is known as Charles River Clinical Services. --Kieran.casey (talk) 13:33, 1 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Christensen, Carl Roland. Business Policy: Text and Cases. R.D. Irwin, 1982, p. 54.
  2. ^ "About Charles River", Charles River Laboratories.

[edit] Further reading