Patient Retention in Oncology Clinical Trials: A Critical Challenge and Potential Novel Solutions
For every 10% increase in patient retention in oncology trials, a 1-2% increase in the success rate of the trial is experienced. Yet patient dropout rates in oncology trials are some of the highest, with some studies reporting rates of up to 50%1. At this metric, the cost to recruit and replace half of the […]
Making R&D transformation sustainable through leadership transitions
Sanofi recently announced new leadership for R&D. I’ll riff on this announcement to explore why the hire of a key executive ‘to continue the work of the departing key executive’, in the midst of a full on R&D transformation, is both critical and rare. First, let’s step back and familiarize ourselves with the basics of […]
Leveraging innovation to improve clinical study portfolio team dynamics and accelerate delivery
It goes without saying, our industry is extremely competitive. Each study in the pipeline represents billions of dollars at stake, and leaders constantly scan the horizon for innovative ways to shorten time to market and deliver therapies to patients faster. A culture of innovation, improved team dynamics, and an enhanced company culture can collectively accelerate […]
3 Tips to Integrate New ways of Working in Your Study Teams
We work in a complex industry, and the complexity is increasing. Some of the contributing factors are the looming economic uncertainties, ongoing geopolitical conflicts, and evolving workforce dynamics, Leaders are overwhelmed with the burden of keeping their teams motivated and focused to consistently deliver value to their organizations. To address these challenges and distractions, Leaders […]
Aligning competing Pharma R&D priorities
Bill, VP of Clinical Development, entered the room clutching a cup of black coffee. Noticing Charles’s evident distress, he took a deep breath. “Charles,” he began cautiously, “I sense you have concerns with our latest design.” Charles looked up, meeting Bill’s gaze. “Bill,” he replied, “it’s not the design per se. It’s the lack of […]
How a risk-contingency playbook can accelerate your study program
We spend a lot of time attempting to mitigate against risks in pharma R&D, and most of the expertise, information, and guidance focuses on risk mitigation. However, here is the cold, hard reality of risks – they happen The reality is that sometimes risks are ‘realized’ and can’t be mitigated. It is my experience that […]
Clinical Program Leaders: Has your study team gone feral?
Once upon a time in the pharmaceutical industry, a grand experiment emerged as a result of an unprecedented global pandemic. White collar workers everywhere were sent home, uncertain of the future of their work. Yet, within a month, a surprising revelation unfolded: virtual teams could not only match, but often surpass, the productivity of co-located […]
3 simple tactics to improve study program team execution
In a world that thrives on complexity, the secret to unlocking exceptional team performance can be achieved through simple, straightforward steps. It is the simple, pragmatic tactics that often yield the most powerful results. The aim of this article is to illuminate three simple but transformative tactics to boost team execution: Creating a ‘single source […]
Pharma Senior Leadership Transitions
Frieda is a well- respected clinical operations leader within a large pharma company. She has built a solid reputation working across both the clinical and commercial functions over the last 10+ years. She and her team have been stretched thin driving critical initiatives and a recent re-shuffle has now led to 2 other adjacent teams […]
BioPharma Leaders: Avoid these behaviors
As we near the end of 2022, its worth taking a look back at year and understanding the behaviors that leaders might avoid or stop-doing to become better leaders. Before determining which of your “bad” behaviors to drop, ask a trusted colleague to share some of the perceptions that are holding you back from making […]
Biopharma Mindset Shifts for Successful Operations
Leaders in Biopharma are looking at some daunting trends in the coming years. Profits are on a general decline and costs are up. When it comes to big pharmaceutical companies, the greatest costs now come from sales and administrative expenses. Moreover, external factors, namely inflation and supply chain disruptions are adding to cost and uncertainty. […]
Big Pharma Can Win by Giving Big Tech a Taste of its Own Medicine
Pharma leaders are beginning to realize that they need to have the capability to analyze and extract insights from real world patient data to stay competitive. Big tech is already making headway into disrupting parts of pharma, primarily by being able to leverage data for making the healthcare experience more adapted to new consumers of healthcare […]
