Pharmaceutical Business review

BIO and ViS Research expand research site group to help streamline pediatric clinical trials

In 2013, BIO and ViS launched this initiative to improve the efficiency of clinical development for pediatric therapeutics. BIO and its member companies work with ViS to use its online analytics platform to evaluate global pediatric clinical research infrastructure, identify pediatric patient populations, and empower clinical research collaboration.

The aim of the initiative is to help member companies more efficiently assess the global pediatric clinical research landscape and to engage sites more easily for pediatric clinical studies. It also will enable a comprehensive mapping of the pediatric patient population, with live feeds of local patient demographics. It aims to reduce the site burden from feasibility assessments and decrease site start-up time.

BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood noted that its partnership with ViS Research Institute is helping streamline pediatric clinical research worldwide.

"ViS Analytics will help drug developers identify pediatric research sites, making it faster and easier to conduct pediatric clinical trials and, ultimately, deliver treatments and cures to children suffering from life threatening and debilitating diseases," Greenwood added.

The US FDA and European Medicines Agency require pediatric development plans before approval of new therapeutics. Drug developers have difficulty finding qualified sites that can recruit patients for pediatric trials.