ICON: patient-centric trial network showing results

23-Nov-2020 - Last updated on 23-Nov-2020 at 15:12 GMT

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A leader from the global CRO shares an update on their new Accellacare clinical research network, and perspective on the importance of patient centricity.

In September, clinical research organization (CRO) and commercialization specialist ICON launched Accellacare, a clinical network with the mission of providing clinical research patients with more convenient, rapid access to treatments through decentralized trials and other solutions. Outsourcing-Pharma (OSP) recently spoke with Alison Liddy (AL) senior vice president of site and patient solutions with ICON, about the clinical network and the importance of patient-centric trials.

OSP: Please tell us about some of the common challenges patients face in exploring, selecting and enrolling in clinical trials.

AL: As well as the practical challenges such as travelling to sites, there is sometimes a lack of understanding among patients concerning the trial process, and choosing the right trial that would best suit them and their condition. Accellacare prides itself on engaging with the patient from the start and guiding them through the process, ensuring we ease the burden of participation.

OSP: How does Accellacare work?

AL: Accellacare is an important part of ICON’s integrated patient, site and data strategy, helping us to improve patient recruitment and retention for sponsors. It is achieving faster study start-up for its customers through efficiencies gained in central process management including budget and contracting, which can otherwise be a source of delay.

This combined with a finely tuned feasibility approach ensures that the network can identify and recruit more patients to studies, in a wide range of therapeutic areas, in a shorter time frame

OSP: Could you please share how Accellacare will benefit various stakeholders?

OSP_IconAccellacare_AL — Alison Liddy, senior VP of site and patient solutions, ICON

AL: Accellacare’s main benefit is offering clinical research as a care option to patients. Patients are assured the support of healthcare professional throughout the process.

Accellacare provides investigators with access to Innovative treatments for their patients and to work with an efficient, quality focused clinical research infrastructure.

With sponsors, Accellacare is already achieving significant benefits to sponsor in terms of study start-up and increased site performance when comparing to industry metrics:

Site selected to site initiation visit is on average 30% faster
Average of 40% more patients per site

OSP: Could you please tell us how Accellacare is being rolled out—how it is being launched, and where, how patients and caregivers will connect, etc?

AL: Accellacare combines previously acquired PMG Research in the US and MeDiNova Research in EMEA, giving sponsors access to a site network that extends across 77 active research sites in six countries covering a wide range of therapeutic areas. Accellacare has relationships with 275 principal investigators connecting it to more than 8 million patients, with access to proprietary databases and electronic medical records.

Accellacare is currently growing the site network to incorporate additional high performing sites specifically in the areas of CNS and immuno- inflammation.