Putting Patient and Family Needs First in Clinical Trials Can Increase Enrollment, Lower Development Costs, Says Clincierge

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Putting the needs of clinical trial participants and their families first can help remove barriers to trial enrollment and patient retention, according to Scott Gray, Chief Executive of Clincierge, a provider of specialized services that increase the patient-centricity of clinical drug development. The result is fewer of the delays that greatly inflate drug development costs and shorter times to getting innovative therapies to those who need them.

Rethinking patient engagement and the use of new approaches that reduce burdens for clinical trial stake holders, thus increasing their willingness and ability to participate and remain on study will be the topic of discussion for a panel on October 20 entitled "Address Trial Fatigue through Innovation: Time to Rethink Patient Engagement 2.0."  The panel, which will include the views of Stage 4 melanoma survivor and patient advocate, T.J. Sharpe, and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' Associate Director of Clinical Operations, Mary West, as well as those of Mr. Gray, is being conducted as part of the eyeforpharma Patient-Centered Clinical Trials 2015 conference, being held on October 19-20 in Philadelphia, PA.

"Poor patient recruitment and retention in clinical trials is one of the greatest challenges faced by drug developers today and a major contributor to the escalating costs of drug development," said Mr. Gray. "Patients and families are increasingly voicing needs for trial designs that are less disruptive to their lives, which address special housing and transportation needs or reduce travel requirements, and which provide assistance and explanations in the patient's own language. Clincierge has developed unique, customizable services and systems that address such issues for patients participating in clinical trials, and companies who have incorporated Clincierge's services have seen increased enrollment and dramatically reduced drop-out rates, leading to lower trial costs and faster study completion."

Address Trial Fatigue through Innovation: Time to Rethink Patient Engagement 2.0

Moderator: Eric Nier, Director of Sales, Clinical Trial Services, Clincierge
Panelists:

• Scott A. Gray, CEO, Clincierge
• T.J. Sharpe, Patient, Survivor, Advocate – of Stage IV Melanoma
• Mary West, Associate Director of Clinical Operations, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

The Clincierge Model

Clincierge represents an innovative new model for moving clinical trials toward patient-centricity. The company's services -- including individualized travel and housing logistics, rapid user-friendly payment/reimbursement systems, and ongoing personalized, in-country patient and caregiver support -- reduce the anxiety and out-of-pocket expenses faced by trial participants and their families. From the time a patient enrolls in a Clincierge-supported study until study completion, the company's multi-lingual, in-country Clincierges provide seamless support by coordinating, managing and communicating with patients and their families and caregivers each step of the way. Clincierge addresses special patient needs and complex trial designs by building custom solutions to specific study-related problems. The company currently supports trials in 30 countries and 23 languages, customizing  service areas and capabilities to suit each client's needs.

Clincierge also helps trial sponsors, CROs and research institutions manage cost and time through a proprietary business management platform. Not only designed to increase patient participation and retention in clinical studies, the Clincierge platform allows for transparent, customizable financial reporting and analysis. Trial site and sponsor staff are similarly benefitted by Clincierge's services, which relieve Clinical Research Associates, Investigators, Study Managers and other site personnel from time-consuming patient logistics -- thus, enabling them to focus on patient care, study administration and data management.

Clincierge leverages more than 20 years of travel and hospitality experience of its parent company, Gray Consulting International, a specialist in pharmaceutical and life sciences meetings, events and people logistics. Gray's global resources and expertise enable Clincierge clients to take advantage of a more than $500 million travel spend for transportation and accommodations on behalf of its customers and a seamless process of getting patients to and from clinical trial sites.

For more information on Clincierge and how our services help patients better access and remain in clinical trials, while potentially lowering the time and cost of those studies, please visit our website at http://www.clincierge.com or contact us at +1-215-413-7880.

Contact:

Scott A. Gray, CEO
Clincierge™, a division of Gray Consulting International
office: +1-215-413-7880

For Media:

Joan Kureczka
Kureczka/Martin Associates
Ph: 415-821-2413
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Clincierge

Related Links

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