Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica

What Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica does

Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica (CEPIC) is a privately held clinical research site headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, founded in 2001 and operating continuously for over 23 years. The company conducts Phase I through Phase IV clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical sponsors and contract research organizations (CROs), offering a full physical site infrastructure that includes nine consultation rooms, an infusion room with two beds and three armchairs, biological-sample collection and processing facilities, a temperature-controlled pharmacy (with -70°C, -30°C, and 2-8°C storage), a dedicated monitoring room, an auditorium, and coordination offices. CEPIC's clinical output spans multiple therapeutic areas, with publicly visible active protocols in cardiology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, nephrology, endocrinology (diabetes, obesity), and sleep medicine.

The company's business model rests on two professional-services revenue streams. The primary stream is B2B clinical trial execution: CEPIC contracts with pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs to deliver protocol-driven services including patient recruitment, data collection, sample handling, and regulatory-compliant study conduct. The customer base spans most of the top global pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Roche, Novartis, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, MSD, GSK, AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amgen, Biogen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Janssen-Cilag, Merck, Novo Nordisk) as well as the major global CROs (IQVIA, Parexel, PPD, Syneos Health, ICON, Fortrea, iTrials). The secondary stream is B2C/B2B professional education: CEPIC delivers three live-online courses (Professionalization in Clinical Research at 108 hours, Advanced Management in Clinical Research at 63 hours, and Investigator Formation at 20 hours) targeted at healthcare professionals pursuing careers in clinical research.

CEPIC's competitive positioning is anchored by regulatory credentialing that is unusual for an independent Brazilian site: 38 successful sponsor/CRO audits and clearance of inspections by the U.S. FDA (2011, 2012, 2017), the European EMA (2012), and Brazil's ANVISA (2013). The company self-reports multiple top global rankings for patient enrollment, including a stated position as the center that included the most patients in the world, multiple times. The center is led by Dr. Cristiano Zerbini, who served as national coordinator for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trials in Brazil. Distribution to sponsors is direct enterprise field sales; volunteer recruitment for trials is conducted through the company website. Operating geographies are limited to Brazil.

Name

Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica

Legal name

CEPIC – Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica e Serviços Médicos Ltda.

Website

https://cepic.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CEPIC is a privately held, São Paulo-based clinical research site founded in 2001 that conducts Phase I-IV trials for global pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs across multiple therapeutic areas, and operates an online training academy for clinical research professionals. Its competitive positioning rests on FDA, EMA, and ANVISA inspection clearance plus self-claimed top global patient enrollment rankings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAGACAE

Clinical Trial Site Operations & Study Coordination

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Clinical Trial Services & Site Management (SMO)

SECONDARYHLAGACAF

Investigator & Site Training / GCP Support

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Clinical Trial Services & Site Management (SMO)

SECONDARYHLAGAAAI

Patient Recruitment, Site Feasibility & Trial Enablement CROs

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Contract Research Organizations (CRO)

Keywords

• Clinical research services
• Clinical trial site
• Pharmaceutical research
• Clinical research training
• Drug development services

Headquarters

HQ city

São Paulo

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Clinical Trial Services: CEPIC conducts clinical trials for pharmaceutical sponsors (pharmaceutical companies and CROs), providing research site services including patient recruitment, data collection, and regulatory compliance. Revenue is generated through service contracts with sponsors for conducting clinical protocols.
2. Clinical Research Training Courses: The company offers professionalization and advanced management courses in clinical research for healthcare professionals, delivered through live online classes with exclusive platform access.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CEPIC operates as a clinical research site that conducts Phase I-IV clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical companies and Contract Research Organizations (CROs), providing patient recruitment, clinical evaluations, biological sample collection and processing, pharmacy services with temperature-controlled storage, and regulatory-compliant trial execution. The company also offers professional training courses in clinical research delivered via live online classes for healthcare professionals seeking to enter or advance in the field.

Product overview

Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica (CEPIC) operates as a clinical research center offering two main service lines: (1) Clinical trial conduction services for pharmaceutical companies and CROs across multiple therapeutic areas, and (2) Professional education courses in clinical research delivered via live online format. The educational portfolio includes three distinct courses targeting different career stages – from entry-level professionalization to advanced management training and investigator certification. CEPIC has over 23 years of experience in clinical research and has conducted hundreds of clinical protocols, making it one of the leading research centers in Brazil.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Trial Site Services End-to-end Phase I-IV clinical trial conduct for pharmaceutical sponsors and CROs across therapeutic areas including cardiology, gastroenterology, endocrinology, pulmonology, and neurology, including patient recruitment, clinical evaluations, biological sample collection and processing, and pharmacy services with temperature-controlled storage.
• Profissionalização em Pesquisa Clínica – EAD Live online beginner course covering clinical research fundamentals, consisting of 108 hours of live classes, designed to help beginners enter the clinical research field.
• Gestão Avançada em Pesquisa Clínica – EAD Advanced live online course of 63 hours aimed at clinical research professionals seeking deeper knowledge and management methods to advance their careers.
• Curso de Formação para Investigadores em Pesquisa Clínica Investigator training course of 20 hours teaching best practices and regulations for conducting clinical research, designed for those seeking a career transition or advancement within clinical research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 successful audits from laboratories and CROs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers28 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• ServiermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical company partnering with CEPIC for clinical trial conduct. Servier is one of the major pharmaceutical partners listed on CEPIC's website.
• Syneos HealthmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRO (Contract Research Organization) partner for clinical trial execution. Syneos Health is a major CRO partner of CEPIC.
• RochemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical company with ongoing clinical trials at CEPIC.
• SanofimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner conducting clinical trials at CEPIC.
• PfizermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical partner. CEPIC's Dr. Cristiano Zerbini served as coordinator of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine trials in Brazil.
• PPDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRO partner for clinical trial services.
• Novo NordiskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner specializing in diabetes and obesity treatments.
• ParexelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal CRO partner for clinical research.
• MSDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical trials.
• NovartiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• Eli LillycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical trials.
• MerckcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• Janssen-CilagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner (Johnson & Johnson subsidiary) for clinical trials.
• IQVIAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal CRO and healthcare analytics partner.
• GSKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• Boehringer IngelheimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical trials.
• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• AbbViecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical trials.
• AmgencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• Bristol Myers SquibbcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical trials.
• BiolabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian pharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• EurofarmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian pharmaceutical company partner.
• BiogencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• AchècoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian pharmaceutical partner for clinical trials.
• LibbscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian pharmaceutical partner for clinical research.
• FortreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRO partner for clinical trial services.
• ICONcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal CRO partner for clinical research.
• iTrialscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRO partner for clinical trial services.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fortrea: Global CRO spun out from Labcorp that provides Phase I-IV clinical development services. Listed as a CEPIC partner, Fortrea is a comparable incumbent operating in the same trial execution space.
• IQVIA: Global CRO with a large site management network and identical enterprise pharmaceutical customers (Pfizer, Novartis, MSD, AstraZeneca, etc.). CEPIC operates as a contracted site that IQVIA routes trials to, but IQVIA's broader scope and site-network strategy make it a relevant incumbent comparable.
• Syneos Health: Global biopharmaceutical services organization combining CRO and commercial capabilities. Syneos is a named CEPIC partner and serves the same pharmaceutical sponsors, making it a directly comparable incumbent in the same working relationship.
• ICON plc: Global CRO and clinical research services provider with site and patient engagement capabilities. Listed as a CEPIC partner, ICON represents the same enterprise customer base and competes for the same Phase I-IV execution work, but at much larger scale.
• PPD (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Global CRO acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific, providing clinical development services across all phases. PPD is a named CEPIC partner, but the firm also competes at the program-management level for the same enterprise pharma trial budgets.
• Parexel: Major global CRO with deep biopharmaceutical trial execution capabilities. Listed as a CEPIC partner, Parexel is a relevant incumbent comparable because it both contracts with CEPIC for site services and competes for full-service trial mandates.
• Medpace: Mid-to-large global CRO focused on Phase I-IV clinical development for pharmaceutical and biotechnology sponsors. Comparable to CEPIC in that it serves the same enterprise customer base and competes for the same protocol allocations, though at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• CCBR Brasil: Brazilian clinical research site network conducting Phase II-IV trials across multiple therapeutic areas. CCBR is a direct peer because it operates the same single-country site model, competes for the same protocol allocations from global CROs and sponsors, and serves the same Brazilian patient population.
• Alliança Pesquisa Clínica: Brazilian clinical research site network with multiple locations across Brazil. Directly comparable to CEPIC because it competes for the same global sponsor trials, recruits from the same patient population, and operates with the same B2B clinical-trials business model.

Others

• Charles River Laboratories: Major contract research organization with strength in preclinical and early-phase clinical research. Comparable as a long-standing partner of large pharmaceutical sponsors, though its primary focus is upstream of CEPIC's Phase I-IV site execution work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CepicOficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centro-paulista-de-investiga-o-cl-nica-cepic-
• Instagraminstagram.com/cepic_oficial

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Centro Paulista de Investigação Clínica