The implementation of a data learning series focused on clinical development teams in a contract research organization

Effective management of a clinical trialrequires having real time access to information that provides useful insightsinto trial progress and that lends itself to collaborative decisionmaking.  Data visualizations using datafrom multiple source systems employed during the conduct of a clinical trialhave become an essential tool in the recent past as support for collaborativedecision making by project teams. Having the ability to access, analyze, read,work with, and present data to support an argument are  important skills that ensure datavisualizations fulfill their purpose in clinical trial management. There is anexpectation that members of the clinical trial team either possess or developthe data literacy skill sets necessary to collaborate on the successfulexecution of a clinical drug development trial. Here we describe thedevelopment of a Data Learning Series program targeted to increase the data literacyskills within a Contract Research Organization in support of the digitalevolution of the drug development industry.

Checklist to select contract Research Organization for early phase Bioavailability/Bioequivalence Clinical Studies in Healthy Adult Human Volunteers

Nowadays health agencies of regulated markets are becoming stringent regarding the bio-studies. So clinical/contract research organization (CRO) need to be selected carefully after their detailed assessment. As per requirement of bio-study CRO should be assessed with the study specific checklist of questions before awarding the bio-study. Questions related to various services of study like: Clinic phase, analytical phase, Pharmacokinetic and statistical phase, ethics approval, QA/QC, record handing etc. and related to CRO capabilities are discussed here with their relevance to conclude the abilities of CRO for successful execution of bio-study. Hence, this paper focuses all possible questions which need to be assessed before selection of CRO mainly for Bioavailability/Bioequivalence (BABE) study in healthy adult volunteers. Properly selected CRO will help for smooth execution of study and quality report and subsequently, hassle-free approval of dossier submitted to regulatory agency.

Effectively utilizing the Sponsor Contract Research Organization interaction for successful implementation of critical flow cytometry in the clinic

As the number of therapeutic modalities expand, and the field of scientific research evolves toward finding treatment solutions for complex and rare disease, an ability to demonstrate efficacy through biomarker end points in clinical development studies is becoming increasingly important. Implementing flow cytometry in a clinical setting is challenging and many sponsor organizations take a hybrid approach, developing complex analytical methods internally before identifying and forming partnerships with contract research organizations to conduct the formal analytical method validation and sample bioanalysis. Ensuring that these interactions are effective is critical to the delivery of high-quality, impactful clinical data. This paper provides a review of the recommendations, challenges and solutions for the implementation of decision-making flow cytometry end points effectively utilizing the Sponsor Contract Research Organization interaction.

Role of Regulatory Authorities on the Working of Contract Research Organization and Pharmaceutical Company’s Clinical Trials in India

The evolution of the drug development process and testing its efficacy is a primary responsibility of pharmaceutical companies. The time cost investment involved in identifying a compound suitable to its target disease and making it available to the masses eventually led to the rise of the Contract Research Organization (CRO) in the domain of clinical research. Pharmaceutical companies outsource the research and clinical trials to CRO’s. A CRO has a vital role from drug discovery to the launch and marketing of drugs. India is emerging as attractive location for global clinical trial. It has cost advantage compared to other countries and a well-developed associated services like data management, medical writing and pharmacovigilance. The Central Drug Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) is the National Regulatory Authority in India that aims to bring safe drugs and standardize clinical research. Pharmaceutical Companies benefit by strategically working with CRO to gain speed and efficiency in drug discovery, generation and retention of clinical data integrity. The risk associated with CRO relates to delays and inferior quality of work, thereby making CRO a critical decision for Pharmaceutical Company.

Caught in the Middle: How and When Psychological Contract Breach by Subordinates Relates to Weekly Emotional Exhaustion of Supervisors

In psychological contract research, the side of the supervisor is strongly underexposed. However, supervisors are responsible for maintaining relationships with both their subordinates and senior management and are likely to be influenced by events unfolding in these relationships. In this study, we state that supervisor well-being may be affected by subordinates who fail to meet their obligations. This study adds to psychological contract research by developing an understanding of how and when subordinate psychological contract breach (PCB) is associated with supervisor emotional exhaustion. Through a weekly diary survey among 56 Dutch supervisors, we test hypotheses about the relationships between subordinate PCB and the emotional exhaustion of the supervisor, the mediating role of perceptions of performance pressure by the supervisor in this relationship, and the moderating role of i-deals between the supervisor and senior management. Multilevel analyses support the first two hypotheses, but contradictory to our expectations show that the positive association between subordinate PCB and the emotional exhaustion of the supervisor is strengthened when the supervisor has high levels of i-deals with senior management. We discuss the findings in relation to their contribution to psychological contract theory.