Parexel, a global contract research organization headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, is beefing up its ability to gather real-world data by bringing Mike D’Ambrosio on board as senior vice president and global head of real world research.
“The inherent value of data collected in healthcare settings and the insights it can provide into patients’ experiences are essential to the drug development process,” Parexel Chief Clinical Data and Digital Officer Stephen Pyke said in a Sept. 4 release. “As the need for [real world evidence] continues to grow, particularly in the development of high-cost, complex therapies, our Real World Research team will form strategic collaborations across the industry to support our initiatives and remain flexible to the evolving needs of the healthcare landscape.”
D'Ambrosio will lead a team that uses a variety of methods to collect data from healthcare facilities and uses them to “accelerate and de-risk asset development, differentiate medicines in the real world setting and drive value creation across lifecycle management,” he said in the release.
D'Ambrosio comes to the gig with experience, as he previously served in a similar role at Syneos Health. While at Syneos, D'Ambrosio helped secure several high-profile provider partnerships as part of the organization’s Real World Data strategy in Europe, according to the release.
Parexel is one of the world’s largest CROs, assisting clients with clinical development services ranging from phase 1 to commercialization. Earlier this year, the company struck a deal with Peter Thiel’s Palantir Technologies to incorporate A.I. into its clinical trial operations. This partnership followed the retirement of CEO Jamie Macdonald, who was succeeded by former chief operating and growth officer Peyton Howell.