A guide to choosing the best preclinical contract research services
Research is crucial to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. That is why these industries often rely on clinical research organizations (CROs) as and when needed.
By hiring a CRO, you can increase the efficiency of your clinical trials. But you must choose the right one. Alternatively, you can also opt for remote and digital virtual clinical trials that provide better flexibility.
This article is designed to help you choose the best preclinical contract research services and make this complicated process much easier.
What are clinical research organizations?
Before you proceed in your quest to find the best CRO, you need to know what it is and what it does.
A clinical research organization provides research services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. They work on a contractual basis for a particular project or period.
From clinical studies to marketing assistance, a CRO offers organizations a wide range of research services, which are often impossible to carry out in-house by the organization itself.
How can you choose the right preclinical contract research services?
Finding the right CRO is a complex task that needs to be done by keeping all the essential factors in mind. In order to help with this crucial task, we have put together everything you need to consider before choosing the right one.
Service catalog
A contract research organization should be able to perform all the essential services like data management, monitoring, biostatistics, pharmacovigilance, medical writing, site selection and activation, site management, and project management.
Clinical trials are complex. Therefore finding a CRO that offers every service is crucial. To keep the service cost low and avoid hiring multiple services, you need to find the one that does it all.
Experience
This one is a no-brainer! Experience tells a lot about an organization and its ability to perform the crucial tasks associated with clinical research. You need to ask the following questions to determine if they are the right fit.
- For how many years the CRO has been in the business?
- How many trials have the CRO managed so far?
- Does it have expertise in specific areas?
These are some important questions, and the answers can determine whether the CRO can handle your project or not.
Cost
Pricing of the services provided by the CRO should play an important factor in choosing the right one. It is not the most crucial factor, but it should be within your budget.
Responsiveness
You should choose a CRO that is responsive and responsible. You don’t want to end up with a CRO that doesn’t respond to your inquiries and suggestions. Communication plays a crucial part in a successful clinical research trial.
You must ensure the CRO pays attention to your project without sidelining it for a bigger sponsor. A CRO supported by a loyal and dedicated team will always provide satisfactory outputs.
Geographical coverage
For large-scale clinical research trials, the geographical coverage offered by a CRO should also be factored in. See if the CRO can conduct research trials in multiple countries. Ask them for the list of countries available and the scale of the research trial. For many research trials, local resources are necessary. That is why considering the geographical coverage offered by a CRO is crucial.
Patient access
It is a significant benefit of having a CRO. Some clinical trials require access to the site and high enrollment, and an efficient CRO can offer the same to the sponsors.
CROs often interact with hospitals, which is why they have better access to sites with many potential volunteers. As a sponsor, you should go for a CRO that can offer patient references suitable for your research.
Choose your CRO wisely
These factors are something that one shouldn’t overlook. The success of your clinical research depends on the preclinical contract research services you choose. So choose wisely!
