Fortrea agreed to buy Worldwide Clinical Trials’ early-phase services business in a $45 million deal, adding three Texas facilities and a 200-bed clinical pharmacology unit to its network. The transaction includes a bioanalytical laboratory in Austin, the clinical pharmacology unit in San Antonio, and biospecimen storage in Pflugerville. Fortrea said the acquisition is intended to improve early clinical development delivery by bringing large- and small-molecule bioanalysis capabilities in-house, a response to client demand for a more cohesive early development experience. Worldwide will continue operating early-phase services through the broader business after the sale. The deal also comes as Worldwide’s ownership signals a strategic shift: redirecting proceeds toward late-stage services and technology while expanding geographic reach. For sponsors, the additional bed capacity and co-located pharmacology and bioanalytical capabilities could shorten study timelines for dose optimization and early translational work.