Independent specialty practices are an untapped recruitment opportunity for clinical trials, says AmerisourceBergen, which has launched a tool that connects drug developers with oncology practices.
The technology–called Clinical Trial Navigator–is a software platform that supports recruitment for biopharmaceutical companies’ clinical trials, according to AmerisourceBergen spokeswoman Francesca LaMonaca. The platform will help connect biopharma companies with independent oncology practice groups across the country, LaMonaca told Fierce Biotech. She added that AmerisourceBergen already works with thousands of independent specialty physician practices nationwide.
AmerisourceBergen launched the AdvanceIQ Network a few years ago, which collected "opt-in" information from specialty physician practices, particularly in oncology and urology, on what types of studies are available. The practices were able to note what trials they might like to be considered for, and the data were aggregated to share with biopharma companies.
The Clinical Trial Navigator platform is the next part of the AdvanceIQ Network and will help make the matching process more seamless and efficient, LaMonaca said.
The platform codifies inclusion-exclusion criteria into a structured, standardized format that can be used to determine the most appropriate sites for trials by identifying eligible patient practices with specific experience, equipment and staff, according to AmerisourceBergen.
The tech also creates a shortlist of applicable sites and follows up with them to collect additional due diligence information. It can be used to reach out to investigators and provide support through the enrollment process as well.
At present, the technology is only available to AmerisourceBergen customers. However, LaMonaca said the company plans to evaluate the platform for potential partnerships with CROs.
The idea behind Clinical Trial Navigator is to create a community of physicians and practices that are ready to engage with biopharma and establish a channel for biopharmaceutical companies to easily find the right sites and appropriate patients for timely recruitment.
“When it comes to rare cancers in particular, it can be difficult and time consuming to find the right patients–especially if you’re only looking at one site of care or in one community. Having a way to scan the nation’s community providers and their patient populations can certainly help speed that process," LaMonaca said.