Collaboration, Innovation and Efficiency Top of Industry Stakeholders’ Minds
When clinical trial stakeholders meet, a major focus of discussion is the concept of collaboration and the industry’s inefficiency in adopting innovations.
Ken Getz, executive director of the Tufts’ Center for the Study of Drug Development (CSDD) and a key thought leader on trends and challenges in research, spoke with CenterWatch Weekly to share his thoughts on the pressing elements that are driving sponsors to push for greater trial performance and speed while at the same time aiming for minimized costs in drug development.
“The clinical research enterprise faces a number of key trends and challenges this year,” he says. “In addition to managing increasing levels of scientific and operating complexity, the industry faces workforce challenges, declining revenue per newly marketed product and a steep patent cliff. These challenges are intensifying pressures for drug development professionals to meet more aggressive timelines, achieve higher levels of efficiency and contain costs.”
Getz, who will deliver the keynote address at the WCG MAGI Clinical Research Conference - 2023 East in Philadelphia in May, believes there is strong interest in crafting and implementing diversity and inclusion strategies in clinical trials, as well as best practices for coordinating and integrating technologies and platforms to help with trial activities.
Getz recently took part in an interactive panel at the Summit for Clinical Ops Executives (SCOPE) conference in Orlando, where he balanced discussing short-term complexity and customization challenges with what he describes as a “remarkably positive, optimistic” long-term outlook for the research industry.
In particular, he noted excitement around the “tremendous promise” of rare and ultrarare disease therapies, personalized medicines and “an environment where [we] are really focused on taking patient and community engagement to even higher levels.”
Beyond solutions to specific issues, industry is also seeking ways it can work together better, Getz says, calling out large-scale conferences as critical avenues for collaboration.
“The industry is looking in earnest for insights on ways it can collaborate more effectively with greater transparency and agility. Big industry gatherings … are important places to discuss concrete examples and experiences that can inform future expectations and decision making,” he said.
WCG MAGI 2023 East’s agenda is still developing, but topics currently include:
- Research ethics and participant protection regulations;
- Site preparation strategy for FDA inspections;
- Preapproval access to investigational therapies;
- Patient centricity;
- Indemnification and insurance;
- Budget and billing considerations for medical device trials;
- Gene therapy trials;
- Site infrastructures;
- Handling participant injuries from a budget, regulatory, contractual and compliance perspective;
- Clinical trial agreements; and
- Industry sustainability.
The WCG MAGI Clinical Research Conference - 2023 East will also feature the second WCG Innovation Challenge competition, and submissions are currently being accepted from sites, sponsors and CROs. Those with nonproprietary innovative ideas or measures for boosting performance, site efficiency or quality improvement may submit them for consideration, whether they are completed projects or still in the idea phase.
For more information on the WCG MAGI Clinical Research Conference - 2023 East, click here: https://bit.ly/3RKq2XH.
To submit an entry for the WCG Innovation Challenge, click here: https://bit.ly/3YcvZ1Q.
Upcoming Events
-
07May
-
14May
-
23May
-
21Oct