The name of the company sponsoring the drug trial was not disclosed.

Encorium, which designs and manages clinical trials for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, will be partnering with Estudios Clínicos Latino América in South America, in Argentina.

The contract amount includes $170,000 payable under a letter of intent that was announced previously. The current trial will assess the efficacy and safety of multiple doses of a new anti-thrombotic drug to treat patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. Encorium will provide full service support, including consulting on trial design and protocol development, project and study site management and monitoring, data management, biostatistical analysis, safety monitoring, and medical writing.

Revenues will be recognized as services are performed on a proportional performance basis over the life of the contract, beginning in the current third quarter.

This marks the second major contract with this client in two years, said Kenneth M. Borow, Encorium Group's president and chief medical and strategic development officer.