INC Research Holdings, a global phase I to IV CRO, has announced a strategic collaboration with the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging the public and patients as partners in the clinical research process. Through this collaboration, INC and CISCRP will jointly develop and implement educational initiatives designed to bring greater awareness to the importance of clinical trial participation in advancing public health.
"Continuing to make patients valued partners in the clinical research process is vital to accelerating the delivery of new medicines to market,” said Clare Grace, Ph.D., vice president, Site and Patient Access. “CISCRP has been doing great work in this area for more than a decade and INC Research is proud to support their efforts to further increase awareness of the critical role patients play in clinical research and the value that this research brings to the development of new therapies. By furthering the connection that patients have with the clinical research community, we can better understand their perceptions about clinical research and the barriers that are potentially preventing them from participating in trials for which they may be suited.”
"Without clinical trial participants, new medicines and discoveries simply wouldn’t be possible," said CISCRP Founder Ken Getz. "It is essential that we engage patients and their local health care community as partners in the drug development process. We are very excited about entering into this collaboration with INC Research to raise public awareness about clinical research, to educate the patient community and to ultimately strengthen patient engagement.”
As a main component of the strategic collaboration, INC Research and CISCRP will co-host an event in September called the “Inspiring Hope” Ideathon. This event will bring together industry leaders, pioneers and advocacy groups, and is designed to generate new ideas and discuss innovative ways to help raise awareness of clinical research.
To register interest in participating or for more information on the event, please email InspiringHope@incresearch.com.
In addition, INC Research will sponsor CISCRP programs and events, such as AWARE for All and Medical Heroes, throughout the year as well as collaborate on the development of future patient awareness events. INC will work with CISCRP to leverage findings from the 2015 CISCRP Perceptions & Insights survey to improve awareness of volunteer perceptions, motivations and experiences with clinical research/inform strategies that incorporate the patient voice into trial design.
For the last two years, INC Research and CISCRP have co-chaired Patients as Partners in Clinical Trials, an annual conference designed for clinical trial executives in pharma and biotech, directors in patient advocacy, patients involved in clinical trials, academia, government and service providers who are looking to incorporate the patient perspective throughout the clinical trial process.
