Selecting a CRO as a Small or Emerging Sponsor

When it comes to clinical outsourcing, needs differ depending on several criteria – including sponsor size.

What makes a certain CRO the best choice for small and emerging pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies?

 

The Importance of Therapeutic Experience

According to a 2020 ISR report titled “CRO Quality Benchmarking Report – Phase II/III Service Providers: A Look at Small and Emerging Biopharma,” one of the most important criteria for selecting a service provider is therapeutic expertise.

In an interview with Ed Miseta, Chief Editor of Clinical Leader, ISR’s VP of market research Rebecca McAvoy explained: “While only 13 percent of respondents from larger sponsors chose Therapeutic expertise as the most important attribute, 24 percent of respondents (nearly double) from small and emerging companies selected this as their top attribute.”

Featured Resource: Learn more about PharPoint’s therapeutic experience

Outside of therapeutic expertise, what other areas may be more important to small or emerging sponsors?

 

Three Ways PharPoint Better Supports Small and Emerging Clients

At PharPoint, we’ve identified three points that our smaller clients value in a CRO – while there are certainly more, these areas are concerns commonly brought up with our teams.

As a client-focused CRO, they’re also areas we excel in.

1. You need faster results (without sacrificing data integrity or quality).

While faster timelines are important to ALL sponsors, their importance is often amplified for smaller and emerging clients who may be eager to present study findings to investors and other stakeholders.

To support these needs, all PharPoint clients (small or large) benefit from our industry-best biometric timelines.

When plotted against standard timelines from Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, PharPoint’s biometric timeline shows that we can lock a database an average of 31 days faster than competitors. Top line results are quick to follow – typically delivered only 2 days after database lock.

Faster Clinical Trial Timelines for Small and Emerging Companies

2. You have a tight budget (and need a partner who can work both efficiently and transparently).

When it comes to setting and sticking to a budget, communication is key. You need a CRO that can properly – and honestly – communicate costs and help you avoid unregulated scope creep.

PharPoint works closely with clients to keep costs within budget and is quick to communicate when unavoidable obstacles that may impact budget arise. And of course, since time is money, our standard timelines allow us to shorten the length of your trial, saving you money in the long run.

3. You want a consultative, experienced CRO with a track record of success.

Above all else, a team that’s capable and experienced is critical – and this should ring true whether it’s your in-house teammates or a service provider.

PharPoint leverages extensive industry expertise to make knowledgeable, long-term cost and time-saving recommendations for your program. We’ve participated in over 900 studies since 2007, and average two successful regulatory submissions each year. Our success is founded on sponsor satisfaction – and many of the innovative companies we work with are repeat clients.

Conclusion

Every sponsor is different, and finding a CRO that can fit your development program’s needs is critical.

As you search for a contract research organization to fit your needs as a small or emerging company, you can afford to be choosy. High quality, fast timelines, transparency, and therapeutic & operational expertise are all within reach.



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EBOOK

Standard Clinical Trial Timelines: A Sponsor’s Guide to Evaluating Biometrics CROs

This brief guide provides timeline benchmarks for Sponsors evaluating biometrics contract research organizations (CROs).


Exploring Standard CRO Timeline Benchmarks

Preparing to work with a top biometrics contract research organization and wondering how their promised data management, biostatistics, and medical writing timelines match up to the industry average? To help sponsors dig into these details and ensure the timelines they’re receiving are competitive, we’re providing PharPoint’s typical timelines alongside research that calculates industry standard timelines, when available.

Our hope is that this document can help sponsors set realistic expectations, confidently ask the right questions of their vendors, and ultimately, partner with a top biometrics CRO that keeps their study moving: because patients are waiting.

 

eBook contents include:

PharPoint’s short eBook, Standard Clinical Trial Timelines: A Sponsor’s Guide to Evaluating Biometrics CROs, includes the below information.

  • Standard database build timeline
    • The bigger picture: Considering site identification and study start-up
  • Standard mid-study database change timeline
  • Standard database lock time
    • Six strategies for a faster database lock
  • Evaluating database lock to top line results timeline
    • Ensuring a rapid delivery
  • Evaluating database lock to delivery of tables, listings, and figures (TLF) timeline
  • Standard clinical study report delivery timeline
  • About PharPoint Research

Compare Standard Clinical Trial Timelines

For instant access to the eBook, fill out the form below.


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