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Revolutionizing Clinical Trials Process Philadelphia Regional Supersite

One of BMSI's signature projects has been the conception and development of a groundbreaking initiative to create the first-of-its-kind clinical trials supersite, or Integrated Research Network (IRN), in Philadelphia.

Engaged as a consultant to BioAdvance, the Philadelphia-based greenhouse organization dedicated to the growth of life sciences industries in southeastern Pennsylvania, BMSI successfully architected a working IRN, a revolutionary model that would function as a cross-institutional, collaborative entity able to leverage the medical expertise and resources of at least five institutions. This proprietary model – which is poised to revolutionize the clinical trials process in the United States – is now being considered for implementation by academic health centers (AHCs) in several other additional states as well.

Industry leaders weigh in on BMSI's revolutionary IRN model (as quoted in the Philadelphia Business Journal)...

The initiative will help attract more biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to the region. The Supersite project is a natural for Philadelphia. We have an abundance of clinical researchers and very well-known medical institutions. There is an opportunity to use the Supersite as a venue to attract more companies. Right now, if a Cephalon or a Glaxo-SmithKline or Merck wants to do a clinical trial, we have to go to six or seven centers and work out a contract with each and set up an Institutional Review Board with each and help them accrue patients. To go to one entity that can take care of all the work and have just one contract and one IRB -- it's much more cost effective.
Frank Baldino, BioAdvance Chairman and Chairman & CEO of Cephalon Inc.

The major local impediments preventing the region's academic medical centers from handling more studies are administrative delays in securing contract approval, staff turnover and problems recruiting subjects. If one institution is having trouble recruiting enough patients, they can go to other centers and tell them exactly the type of patient they are looking for.
Executive Director, Business Development, Drexel University

This is one of those unusual circumstances where everybody wins. Patients win by getting access to the latest treatment options; pharmaceutical companies win by getting to deal with only one entity, and academic medical centers win by generating additional income.
Barbara Schilberg, Managing Director & CEO, BioAdvance

Using years of industry and technology expertise, BMSI is now uniquely prepared to oversee building the supersite's technical architecture and defining in greater detail the IRN's structure and critical components required to make the model work, including technology vendor selection, process integration and automation, and quality patient recruitment. In addition, BMSI's unique understanding of geographic regions, the individual needs of participating AHCs, and the related issues of marketing the IRN to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies position BMSI as the leading healthcare consultancy able to ensure a seamless and effective transition to this revolutionary clinical trials process model in a geographic market.