At any given time, a principal investigator (PI) can be working on one or more studies for a single sponsor company, or multiple studies for multiple sponsors.
Likewise, each sponsor runs its clinical trials its own way, using its preferred technology and processes. And, often times, the technology and/or processes differ from study to study, depending on how long a study has been running and whether it is being managed in-house or by a contract research organization (CRO) partner.
As you can imagine, given all of those variables, the life of a PI can be incredibly complex, confusing, and burdensome, which inevitably detracts from his/her ability to efficiently and effectively conduct life-changing research.
Given how valuable PIs are to sponsor companies, a handful of industry leaders have joined forces to improve the investigator experience, regardless of the study or sponsor company in question. These pioneers are members of TransCelerate BioPharma Inc., and include AbbVie, Allergan, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, EMD Serono Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, Merck & Co., Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Shionogi, and UCB.
One of the initial accomplishments of this do-gooder posse was the creation of a Shared Investigator Platform (SIP), designed to be a single destination for investigators and site personnel. The vision for SIP includes single sign-on (SSO) user authentication, consistent business processes, and standardized technology to support those processes.
While the vision is brilliant, the challenge is in the getting there. How can a sponsor – with technologies and processes in place and studies in progress – transition to using SIP without disrupting current operations or overburdening site personnel?
We recently helped one of the consortium members answer this question. If you’re interested in learning how we can help you do the same, simply fill out this form.
