Sarah Pozek, Director of Life Sciences Recaps SCOPE 2017

February 8, 2017

By Sarah Pozek, Director of Life Sciences                   

Late last month I had the opportunity to attend SCOPE 2017 in Miami. In addition to being a welcomed reprieve from January in Cleveland, it was also thoroughly exciting (and inspiring) to dive deeper into the world of Clinical Trial technology.

Below is a sampling of the companies that I met with and felt were doing some really innovative things! What technologies or companies blew you away at SCOPE?

Clinical Ink

In 2007, Clinical Ink took innovation to the next level by creating a solution that would be run on a technology that wasn’t even around yet. You read that right. We were still two years out from the release of the first iPad when founders Tommy Littlejohn, M.D. (an experienced researcher with more than 3,000+ studies under his belt) and Doug Pierce developed a tablet-based software application that would eliminate paper source documents in clinical trials.

While their software continues to evolve, this pattern of innovation continues. Whether it be in the form of their SureSource platform expansion or their enhanced tablet-based eCOA for CNS Clinical Trials, Clinical Ink has continued to disrupt the industry standard. Their current offering captures clinical trial source data and documents with 100% accuracy and in real time from study launch to analysis. Add on the mobile accessibility of SureSource Engage and you’ve got the resources you need for better, faster and safer studies.

To learn more about Clinical Ink, please visit http://www.clinicalink.com/.

goBalto

Aptly named after the legendary Husky (who coincidentally now resides in my hometown), goBalto’s mission is to get medicine to patients in need faster by accelerating the time-to-market for new drugs, medical devices, and other therapies. Their SaaS applications offer an end-to-end solution for starting Clinical trials. This process starts with site selection (analyzing data from the client’s internal systems and then augmenting that with third party information and goBalto’s proprietary data) through goBalto Select. Next up is goBalto Activate, which is an intelligent workflow solution with over 60+ country-specific preconfigured workflows, including required documents, allowing users to track progress in real time and receive alerts. Finally, goBalto Analyze streamlines these early stages by comparing performance among sites, countries, and studies to identify any potential bottlenecks.

This fast moving company already has relationships with more than two thirds of the top 25 pharma companies and four of the top five CROs. Definitely a company to watch (and I’m not just saying that because they bribed me with an adorable stuffed Balto).

To learn more about goBalto, please visit https://www.gobalto.com/.

OmniComm

OmniComm probably lands as one of the better known names on this list. Putting customer experience as a high priority has paid off, and their TrialMaster EDC was ranked #1 by clinical research sites surveyed in late 2016 (Porter Research) to the tune of three out of every five sites globally. These rankings were based on ease of use, performance and customer support. It’s definitely worth noting that OmniComm was the only EDC system that exceeded the average in each category. One way they differentiate themselves on the customer support side is all customer care and support personnel are OmniComm employees (no outsourcing, no contracting – all of those people, world-wide, who pick up the phone are in house).

Now landing as the third most popular EDC (falling only behind behemoths, Medidata and Oracle), it’s truly impressive that they have been able to achieve such a high level of site-user satisfaction. In addition to their progressive technologies, OmniComm also offers a variety of services including hosting, study design and development, training, consulting services, technology transfer and transition, and 24/7 global customer care. I’m sure we’ll see this company continue to grow!

To learn more about Omnicomm, please visit http://www.omnicomm.com/.

DrugDev

DrugDev had a great showing at SCOPE this year. Not only did they score arguably the best booth location, but they also took home a 2017 Best Practice Award for their Golden Number (the industry-standard universal identifier for global site facilities and staff). Congratulations to the team!

The DrugDev Golden Number is also the backbone of the shared data layer that powers their new rollout, DrugDev Spark™. This is the first comprehensive unified solutions platform which has been proven to add value to thousands of clinical trials, and is being used by 9 of the top 10 pharmas and 4 of the top 5 CROs.  The technology takes users from planning, to startup, to trial conduct with solutions included for each phase and leads to an overall more streamlined process.

To learn more about DrugDev, please visit https://www.drugdev.com/.

Trifecta Clinical

As a global leader in training technology for clinical study investigators, Trifecta offers a fully integrated platform, custom built to support the delivery of efficient and audit-ready clinical trials.  Trifecta helps simplify the training process, delivery and exchange of safety letters for Sponsors, CROs and sites. In an industry where acceleration is key, Trifecta sets themselves apart through customer service excellence delivered with the agility required to provide solutions as unique as each clinical trial.  I had the pleasure of meeting with Rick Ward, VP of Commercial Operations, at the conference and he shared the following, "When challenges arise in clinical trials, as they always do, Trifecta is a highly responsive and nimble partner.”  He continued, “When Sponsors and Clinical Research Organizations partner with Trifecta, they can expect a team skilled in both creating and anticipating solutions-even before obstacles appear.”

Trifecta partners with leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology and clinical research organizations to support studies ranging from 2 sites to over 2,000.  From accelerating study start up, to simplifying to save tremendous amounts of time, to organizing and distributing quality, audit-ready data, Trifecta’s purpose-driven solution was built with one goal in mind:  To deliver more trial with less error across an entire portfolio of studies.

To learn more about Trifecta, please visit www.trifectaclinical.com.

SignalPath

One of the younger companies that we met with, SignalPath distinguishes itself with a clean, modern and engaging presentation. Accessible from the cloud, SignalPath is a software solution that supports clinical trial sites by improving ease and efficiency of trial execution.

Focusing on the site specifically, SignalPath is designed to streamline the workflow of patient management and offers an easy, intuitive and accurate way to manage clinical trials. Key features include participant management, data and insights, financials, and patient engagement.

To learn more about SignalPath, please visit http://www.signalpath.com/.

Medrio

Always the most easily recognizable, Medrio and their team continue to impress with their “rockstar” solution. Offering SaaS-based eClinical software solutions since 2005, namely EDC and eSource modules, their solutions are used for studies in all phases and therapeutic areas including Pharmaceuticals, Device, Diagnostic, Animal Health, Oncology, and Nutraceuticals, as well as in non-clinical academic and industry studies.  Medrio’s simple-to-use, point-and-click interface with risk-based monitoring, randomization, and eSource capabilities offers leading-edge innovations not found in other solutions.

Not surprisingly, this accessible, customizable, and intuitive product that built its reputation on early stage studies is now gaining traction in the later phase trials. With clients like 16 of the top 20 global biopharmaceutical companies and 4 of the top 10 CROs (and a 98% customer satisfaction rating, by the way), these guys are poised for continued success.

To learn more about Medrio, please visit http://medrio.com/.

CSSi

CSSi President, Chris Trizna, couldn’t have picked a better location for my final meeting of the week – sitting on the stairs behind the Hyatt overlooking the Miami River. What better place to discuss patient recruitment than under palm trees?

With over a decade of experience and thousands of trials under their belt, CSSi has seen that the best way to recruit (and keep) patients is to tailor support around each individual site. Customized to each site’s needs, their solutions are comprehensive and adapt to the uniqueness of the given area. This approach enables a faster pathway to commercialization for clients’ drugs and medical devices with services to support lifecycle strategies from start to finish. Using their SmartStart™ Access program helps companies to reach their commercial goals and milestones.  CSSi has commercialized over 500 new drugs, biologics, medical devices, and in-vitro diagnostics.

To learn more about CSSi, please visit http://www.cssienroll.com.

Overall, SCOPE was a great way to kick off “conference season.” With a strong executive presence, the conversations and discussions were much deeper than the typical buzzwords (these companies in particular)! I’m looking forward to seeing many of the same companies in a few months at DIA! What other conferences should I have on the docket for 2017?

For more information about SCOPE 2017, contact:

sarah-pozek-square-web-shot-update Sarah Pozek
Director of Life Sciences
Direct Recruiters, Inc.
440-996-0597
spozek@directrecruiters.com

Comments are closed.