CRCs workload up: relative pay declining

Clinical research coordinators (CRCs), widely considered the “glue” that holds clinical projects together at investigative sites, report that the volume of studies they manage on an annual basis has nearly doubled during the past decade, yet salary levels during this same period have remained flat, according to a new CenterWatch survey. Nearly 70% of the 269 study coordinators who participated in the survey—the first new CenterWatch analysis of the CRC workforce in a decade—also report a significant increase in their responsibilities, as clinical studies have become more complex and budget constraints have taken a toll on investigative sites. Surprisingly, despite this increasing workload, the turnover rate among CRCs has…

As IRB industry grows up, consolidation comes knocking

As various unforgiving market forces sweep through all sectors of the drug development world, we’ve seen some interesting changes in the IRB space in the last year. These shifts represent the various ways in which consolidation is now sweeping through the small but vital sector of the research enterprise, according to noted bioethicist Art Caplan. There’s the IRB closing, the IRB acquired by another IRB and the IRB purchased by an investor group…

Eye on Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is a globally affiliated group of 145 companies founded and headquartered in Germany. Currently, it employs more than 44,000, including 7,000 in research and development. To design new therapies for diseases with an unmet therapeutic need, Boehringer Ingelheim focuses heavily on R&D, not only internally but also through external collaborations…

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