CEO Jason Bonanza told Outsourcing-pharma that: “We have seen some of our major Sponsors move trials to hospital-based units overseas, mostly with biologics. Our goal is to meet the strictest demands when it comes to safety in FIH trials.”
The deal, details of which have not yet been announced, is part of an exclusive agreement with Integrated Medical Services (IMS), a network of 128 multi-specialty physicians with 41 offices in 13 Arizona cities.
“Partnering with a hospital and IMS are both steps toward establishing a wider network of resources that are the basis for providing more efficient and cost effective services to our pharmaceutical sponsors.”
Bonanza added that DPI is working to design an advantageous floor plan within the hospital, and the first hospital-based studies are expected to begin at the additional site in 2012.
Phase I flexibility
Bonanza also contrasted DPI’s plan with the trend that has seen a number of contract research organizations (CRO), most recently Charles River Laboratories (CRL), move to reduce FIH capacity.
“Phase I sites that are part of a larger organization often lack the flexibility and drive to anticipate the ever-changing customer needs and are slow to respond to new challenges proactively, without losing efficiency and data integrity.
He went on to explain that “In a tough economy and a highly competitive industry, understanding customer needs and future trends is absolutely essential to forging strong relationships and ensuring repeat business, which is why we’re so excited about this new partnership.”
“The global recession has affected the entire industry, DPI included, but we’ve already seen a significant uptick in contracts and revenues in 2010, and the projections for 2011 are increasingly optimistic.”
When operational the hospital unit will work with DPI’s existing 70-bed clinical research facility which is also based in Phoenix.