Expect more from your CRO

To get ahead in the contract research market, companies need to forge strong, often international customer relationships. Client feedback and process-driven research offer numerous benefits.

The contract research organisation (CRO) market is projected to be worth more than $29 billion annually by 2011, according to a report by Goldman Sachs. The primary growth factors for clinical trial outsourcing are the increased cost and time pressures for pharmaceutical and biotech companies to develop drugs with increasingly complex design protocols.

The CROs that will be successful in these market conditions are those that efficiently and consistently provide clinical trial services worldwide. INC Research, a global CRO, invests in its customers’ success with proven therapeutic foresight and a trusted approach to advance drug and device development. The company’s acquisition of the Phase II–IV operations (Global Clinical Development) of MDS Pharma Services in July 2009 substantially deepened its outsourcing power to provide more geographic locations, therapeutic expertise, leadership and process excellence.

More geographic locations
Based in Raleigh, NC, INC Research has nearly 2,000 employees and is operational in 40 countries. Its strong presence in North America, Western, Central and Eastern Europe, and India have been greatly enhanced by MDS GCD’s complementary presence in Western Europe and in the emerging markets of South America, Asia/the Pacific Rim and Africa.

With more global resources, INC Research offers firsthand regional knowledge and experience of cultural nuances and regulatory requirements. Sponsors benefit with an active investigator site database that provides more access to patients that meet specific study protocols.

More therapeutic foresight
Reinforcing its commitment to its therapeutic focus, INC Research has added respiratory, cardiovascular and endocrinology to its list of therapeutic specialities, which includes oncology, CNS and infectious diseases. The combined organisation creates a complete range of customised Phase I–IV programmes in these therapeutic areas, and in innovative paediatric and women’s health trials.

INC Research has built its business and reputation on the strength of its therapeutic expertise. Dedicated clinical operations teams with years of experience provide full clinical plan development that considers the scientific rigour of a specific programme. Deploying proven recruitment and retention strategies tailored for each therapeutic area is critical to the success of a trial. INC Research’s longstanding relationships with key thought leaders, investigators (academic and community based), professional societies and patient support groups also help meet sponsor trial objectives.

Proof is in the process
INC Research has pioneered the concept of processdriven clinical research with its Trusted Process®, which directs sponsors through their drug and device development programmes with repeatable and measurable methodology. Through a series of phases, sponsors experience certain trial excellence that helps to minimise potential risk factors and, therefore, leads to more informed and confident development decisions.

‘We have always used our therapeutic foresight, world-class execution and thorough analysis to conduct trials,’ says Jim Ogle, CEO at INC Research. ‘But after listening to our customers, we realised we can provide more value by further standardising our processes, especially our feedback mechanisms. We are continually improving our methods, assessing metrics and setting higher standards to remove variability from our customers’ development programmes.’

INC Research has been fully integrating its Trusted Process to formalise existing clinical research processes with its newly acquired new business unit, to deliver actionable results with reduced variability and more cost efficiency. For INC Research, it is important to keep it simple and focused.

Company profile

INC Research is an organisation composed of therapeutically focused high-performance teams led by world-class project managers and leaders, dedicated to helping customers bring products to market in order to improve world health.

For more information, visit: www.incresearch.com.