Choosing to change how it does business with CROs, BioClinica, a specialty clinical trials technology services provider, is responding to client demand by introducing a new partnering program that offers a flexible solution to its CRO partners rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

The new approach for working with all sizes of CROs is based on feedback from senior clinical development, outsourcing and IT executives, with BioClinica using a team of dedicated “relationship managers” to craft tailored offerings for each partner, according to a company statement.

The redesign, known as BioClinica’s eClinical CRO Partner Alliance, is built around each CRO’s unique needs and business model, said Jason Attanucci, BioClinica’s Director of CRO Business Development.

“We have a team of CRO relationship managers who will work closely with each partner to develop a custom health solution offering that meets their specific needs,” he said. “We will provide innovative technology to fill technology gaps and be able to provide CROs with a single source for all their eClinical needs.”

The CRO Partner Alliance, BioClinica stated, will enable partners to leverage certification and services from other parts of the company’s platform, or through individual solutions, to achieve unique financial benefits in areas including: randomization, trial supply management and forecasting with predictive analytics; intelligent, risk-based monitoring; clinical trial management, operations and payments; and electronic data capture, comprehensive data management and clinical operations support.

“Our model in working with CROs is unique to outsourcing in how we actually work with them and ultimately help them reach sponsor customers previously inaccessible,” said Attanucci. “By using newer technologies and services, CRO partners will understand what it means in terms of capabilities as we have to meet their needs, no matter how big or small they are. Our strength is in understanding their businesses where we can provide the latest services and technologies to become their single source for their clinical trial programs. We have been planning this CRO partnership program for some time, working with several partners."

The alliance program also enables CRO partners to utilize BioClinica’s App xChange, which provides access to a growing list of consumer applications such as electronic health records, patient diaries, adherence, safety utilities, questionnaires and other patient-centric apps through its regulatory eHealth Cloud.

Last month, BioClinica also bolstered its capabilities in specialty clinical trials technology services through a partnership announcement with arivis Inc., a life sciences industry compliance software provider. The transaction gives BioClinica additional capabilities by integrating its OnPoint clinical trial management system (CTMS) with arivis’ electronic trial master file (eTMF) to enable sponsors to demonstrate that compliance and control have been maintained across the entire clinical trial documentation process.

In September, BioClinica purchased Synowledge, a provider of pharmacovigilance and regulatory affairs services, and accompanying IT support, for drug safety services—a field that is expected to grow in the coming years as regulators and drug developers tap into new tools to collect and mine data.

The deals with Synowledge and arivis, along with the acquisition this summer of London-based MediciGroup—a leading global patient recruitment and retention firm—are among a series of strategic moves to strengthen and expand BioClinica’s clinical trial technology services.

Last year, BioClinica announced that outsourced pharmaceutical services are projected to grow more than 5% per year over the next five years as  pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to specialists to help them manage their drug development processes.

“Based on feedback from senior clinical development, outsourcing and IT executives, it was evident a completely different partnering approach and philosophy was desired,” Mukhtar Ahmed, BioClinica’s eClinical business segment president, said in a prepared statement. “Among their top priorities are CRO autonomy and product self-service capability, as well as a wealth of knowledge and best practices. They want this within a true partnership—one with strategic business alignment, collaboration and accountability for service delivery and product quality.”

Ronald Rosenberg is a former business and science reporter for The Boston Globe. He has written features for New Scientist and Inc. magazine. His lengthy journalism career includes editing an award-winning weekly newspaper in Cornwall, N.Y. Ron also was a media relations specialist for the science faculty at Boston University, and a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

This article was reprinted from Volume 19, Issue 43, of CWWeekly, a leading clinical research industry newsletter providing expanded analysis on breaking news, study leads, trial results and more. Subscribe »