Global CROs are no longer the obvious choice for companies looking to run international clinical trials. The motion is towards locally based CROs that are connected internationally to drive down R&D costs and leverage local know-how and quality.
An international team of locally entrenched contract research organizations (CROs) and specialist service providers are banning together under the “DAI-SYS” banner to support global studies and clinical trials. Dai-Sys aims to provide Sponsors with a range of quality and cost effective solutions utilizing select ‘Local’ members to run clinical trials anywhere in the world.
Dai-Sys is an initiative of Australia’s most experienced CRO, Datapharm. With experience in being part of other groups, and listening to product developers who need help, the concept was set in motion in 2009.
“With Dai-Sys we are creating a unique international industry co-operative to provide support to bio-product developers” says Helen Allars, Datapharm’s CEO. “Dai-Sys offers an innovative non-bureaucratic system that is cost competitive with lower overheads using local rates and high quality experienced local organizations- members are selected for their knowledge of local issues with a history of success.” So far the “DAI-SYS CRO Plus” has representation in over 18 countries, with coverage in Europe, Latin America, Australia and New Zealand.
CROs currently include Datapharm, Altiora, MTZ Clinical Research, LatAm Clinical Trials, Larix, and SynCro. “Datapharm has many CRO friends globally, and we are currently in discussions with a number of companies regarding extending the Dai-Sys membership in Asia, Africa, and North America” says Allars. “We also want to hear from other CROs, who may be interested in being involved.” The Dai-Sys model offers an alternative to multinational CROs, linking medium-sized to small experienced CROs together into a homogenous team for international clinical trials. “It is based on principals of transparency between all parties and guaranteed quality of service providers through selection criteria and auditing”, says Allars.
Datapharm commonly supports local clients with early phase clinical trials, and through Dai-Sys can extend their research internationally. “With our technology partner Merge’s eClinical OS, Datapharm can provide eCRFs in 14 languages, and the system is adaptable for provision of any language. These capabilities are ideal for international clinical projects especially late phase studies.”
Filed Under: Drug Discovery
