Partnering with CROs

Q&A with Ed Amat, Executive Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing, MPI Research

Partnering with CROs Q&A with Ed Amat, Executive Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing, MPI Research Contract research organizations (CROs) are playing a pivotal role in new drug development as pharmaceutical companies face rising R&D costs and leaner in-house research departments. Strategic partnerships between drug developers and CROs can dramatically decrease a drug’s time to market - according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, clinical trials conducted by CROs are completed, on average, 30 percent faster than those conducted inhouse. Ed Amat is the Executive Vice President of Global Sales & Marketing at MPI Research and is well versed in the CRO partnership arena. We sat down with Ed and asked him to share his insight on CRO partnerships in today’s market, and explain the company’s technology and how Sponsors can make the most of their collaborative approach.

Q: You emphasize, “partnering” with a CRO, and not hiring. Why do you think it’s so important to use that term?

A: Because merely “hiring” a CRO as a vendor is a thing of the past for companies that want to get their drugs to market as well and as fast as possible. Partnership is an often-overlooked concept when working with a CRO. Over the past decade, CROs have grown signifi cantly, to become less of a vendor, and more of a collaborator, especially since the market drop in 2008. Though the Sponsor does hire the CRO, the most value is derived when they work together...