Roger Smith of Acurian, a solution provider at the marcus evans Evolution Summit 2015, on more efficient patient recruitment for clinical trials.
NEW YORK, NY, Apr 22, 2015 - (ACN Newswire) - "Clinical trial patient recruitment has reached a point where finding patients from outside the practice is necessary. Adding new sites is not always possible or affordable," says Roger Smith, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Acurian.
For clinical trial success, Smith believes quantitative comparison of recruitment services is a must. "There has to be a price per patient, so companies can predict costs. They need metrics to understand which marketing channel the patient came from and how long it took, and the conversion rates at the site in order to make informed choices," he suggests.
Acurian, a solution provider at the marcus evans Evolution Summit 2015, in Palm Beach, Florida, May 6-8, is trying to change the standards by which patient recruitment is judged in Europe.
Global Recruitment
"Global recruitment often means taking site support materials - brochures, posters and so on - translating them and sending them to investigators around the world, so clinics can inform patients about different trial opportunities. But clinics do not have databases large enough to fill the need. They need help to find people previously unknown to the investigators, to inform them about the trial, let them understand the value proposition and their responsibilities, and get them pre-screened, while tracking the patient through the journey, before they are passed over to the investigator. This would increase the odds of meeting enrollment goals," Smith explains.
The idea is to move from inactive recruitment, the standard for a long time, to proactively searching, finding, pre-screening and tracking patients. Smith recommends using different forms of outreach, including digital, internet, direct mail and television, to cast a wide net around investigators.
"In Europe, there is a lot of misinformation around data permission and regulations. Many people think certain practices are illegal when they are allowed," he highlights. Crossing this hurdle would allow companies to get to the next level.
Proving Return on Investment
What will ultimately drive the most value is the ability to prove a return on capital spent on recruitment. "When the enrollment plan is not on track, companies have to know what it would cost to tackle the problem. Tracking is the baseline for understanding a cost per patient. Being able to track data, not only in US trials but also those around the world, would allow pharma companies to make better decisions about where to apply solutions," Smith says.
"Comparing apples with apples, how patients are converting in various places is powerful. Patient recruitment is now just as bad in Western Europe as it is in the US, and the crisis is spilling over into Eastern Europe."
He concludes: "Unfortunately, patient recruitment spend is usually commissioned only when things have gone astray, and additional capital is needed to complete the trial. It would be much more efficient and effective if this was part of the pre-planning concept. Pharma companies often consider patient recruitment expensive, but only because they thought they had already spent enough to get the job done."
About the Evolution Summit 2015
The 8th Evolution Summit is the premium forum bringing clinical trial experts from leading drug development companies and solution providers together. The Summit offers an intimate environment for a focused discussion of key new drivers shaping drug development. Taking place at the Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, Palm Beach, Florida, May 6-8, 2015, the Summit includes presentations on improving trial performance, driving innovation, site selection and feasibility, and pinpointing recent trends.
For more information please send an email to press@marcusevanscy.com or visit the event website at www.evolutionsummit.com/RogerSmithInterview
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About Acurian
Acurian, a subsidiary of PPD, is a leading full-service provider of clinical trial patient enrollment and retention solutions for the life sciences industry. The company increases the enrollment performance of investigator sites worldwide by identifying, contacting, prescreening and referring people who live in the local community but are unknown to a research site. As a result, trial sponsors complete enrollment without incurring the unexpected expense of adding sites or time. www.acurian.com.
About PPD
PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing drug discovery, development, lifecycle management and laboratory services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 46 countries and more than 13,500 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a commitment to quality to help clients and partners accelerate the delivery of safe and effective therapeutics and maximize the returns on their R&D investments. For more information, visit www.ppdi.com.
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world's leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings. For more information, please visit www.marcusevans.com.
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