Global Bio-Pharma Clinical Leaders Call for Industry Transformation at 21st Annual Partnerships in Clinical Trials

Clinical development, outsourcing and operations decision makers from the world’s top bio-pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers and their clinical research partners will meet on March 4-7, 2012 at the 21st Annual Partnerships in Clinical Trials (PCT) conference in Orlando, FL with a renewed mandate for change at a critical point in the industry’s history.

For 20 years, PCT has been committed to enabling clinical research sponsors and CROs optimize strategic partnerships, forge new relationships and find collaborative solutions to perennial challenges.But according to the conference co-chairs, this year’s program reflects a much more progressive agenda aimed at the productive disruption of conventional clinical research practices.

“The world has dramatically changed, yet this industry still more or less conducts clinical research exactly as it did 20 years ago,” said PCT Co-Chair Deirdre BeVard, Vice President of Development Operations at Endo Pharmaceuticals. “Sponsors and CROs together need to rethink our approach to clinical operations and partnering if we’re to keep up with all of the changes taking place around us.”

Pfizer SVP of Global Development Dr. John Hubbard—also a PCT 2012 co-chair—echoed this sentiment with an urgent warning: “We have to change this industry and we have to change it fast.”

Hubbard observed that the pace of change is rapidly accelerating and the industry is now beset by enormous and increasingly complex challenges that require transformative solutions.
“Business as usual is no longer an option,” said Hubbard. “We need to think beyond best practices to next practices.”

BeVard emphasized that “finding a CRO partner that will engage with the sponsor in the kind of rapid experimentation required to devise more efficient and innovative approaches to advancing clinical development is no easy task. We must break down traditional monitoring, data management and related roles, and make radical changes, not just incremental ones,” she said.

In response, Partnerships in Clinical Trials has introduced an innovation-centric program with an expanded and intensified focus on provocative dialogue, insightful education and purposeful collaboration designed to drive meaningful progress in new directions in clinical research.

Topics include:

–    Translational, personalized and “participatory” medicine
–    Reconciling reimbursement issues with novel pricing and business models
–    Change management, planning and innovation execution
–    Sponsors and CROs strategic alignment to innovate together and significantly improve trial success rates
–    Wall Street and private equity perspectives on the economic outlook of the clinical trials outsourcing Industry
–    Virtual/mobile clinical trial methodologies and technologies
–    New benchmarking approaches to data quality and patient safety
–    Next generation patient recruitment and retention strategies
–    Application of social media in clinical research
–    Disruptive drug development and future trends in clinical research
–    Managing the operations of global trials and capturing new markets
–    Navigating the changing face of regulation—both domestic and international
–    Impact of comparative effectiveness research on drug pipelines, innovation, and patient care
–    Medical device trial outsourcing and operations
–    The future of R&D and how to re-invigorate drug research

Coupled with keynotes from a world-class roster of visionary thought leaders and industry experts, PCT 2012 will feature more than 150 clinical development speakers in over 130 sessions—in a series of case study presentations, panels, summits, interactive exercises and specialized break-out tracks alongside results-oriented, innovative networking opportunities and special invitation-only sessions.

Approximately 2000 attendees representing more than 400 sponsor, CRO and related supplier organizations spanning nearly 50 countries are expected to attend PCT 2012, which promises to be the largest, yet most candid and intimate forum for clinical decision makers in the world.

For more information or to register today, please visit www.clinicaltrialpartnerships.com

ABOUT PARTNERSHIPS IN CLINICAL TRIALS

With an established history of 20 years in the clinical trials outsourcing and operations industry, Partnerships in Clinical Trials is the world’s foremost event series for clinical development leaders and practitioners. Annually, more than 2000 executives representing biopharma sponsors, CROs, and third-party services providers attend Partnerships in Clinical Trial meetings in the US, Latin America, Europe and Asia to network, learn, strategize and advance next practices. Partnerships in Clinical Trials is organized by the Institute for International Research (IIR) and committed to redefining clinical research excellence on a global scale.

ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH

The Institute for International Research (IIR) is the world’s largest conference company and has been the leader in the provision of business information for over 25 years. IIR produces over 5,000 events annually through its network of offices in more than 35 countries. For further details, please visit us online at www.iirusa.com

CONTACT:
Danya Burakoff
Program Director, 21st Annual Partnerships in Clinical Trials
dburakoff@iirusa.com
646-895-7337