Evidera, a provider of evidence-based solutions for the healthcare industry and the peri- and post-approval business unit of Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), announced the expansion of its patient-centered research services to provide clients with new and innovative approaches to more effectively gather and incorporate patient perspectives into drug development programs.

Evidera now offers a full range of patient-centered services, including clinical outcome assessment (COA); burden of illness studies; perceptions of treatment and quality of care; patient engagement; patient-centered benefit-risk assessment, preference, utility and adherence studies; technology (m/eHealth) validation studies; and related strategic and regulatory consulting. The new service offerings complement Evidera’s long history of COA services, from strategic planning to instrument development, validation, data analyses and regulatory submissions.

“The patient’s voice always has been core to Evidera’s work,” said Nancy Kline Leidy, Ph.D., Evidera’s senior vice president of scientific affairs. “Our team of health outcomes research scientists is the largest in the field, with more than 20 years of experience in COA science and strategy. This new suite of patient-centered services builds on this expertise and will enable our clients to effectively navigate this new world of patient-focused drug development and value-based market access.”

Evidera’s patient-centered services will provide clients with the capacity to develop a comprehensive understanding of the patient experience, including burden of illness, unmet needs and treatment preferences, to inform patient-centered trial design and market access strategies. Evidera’s team has a unique combination of experience in quantitative and qualitative methods for eliciting patient preference information that meets the needs of regulatory and payer decision-makers.

These services are an important component of PPD’s comprehensive, strategic solutions that put the patient at the center of drug development. These solutions focus on empirically based methodologies and innovative development strategies to identify and engage patients in new and different ways, thereby increasing the ability to reach the right patients for each study.

“Evidera’s emphasis on patient engagement addresses the need for patient-centered evidence, which is increasingly required by key stakeholders and decision-makers,” said Margaret Vernon, Ph.D., vice president and general manager of the patient-centered research team. “Our aim is to leverage our regulatory insights and scientific expertise to help our clients successfully engage patients throughout the drug development process.”

Under the leadership of Dr. Vernon, Hilary Wilson, Ph.D., will direct patient engagement strategy and research services while Kevin Marsh, Ph.D., will continue to direct patient preference research services.