Synexus selects IBM & EnterpriseBI to face clinical trial challenges head on using IBM Cognos 8 BI to achieve unrivalled control and visibility of clinical trial lifecycle

IBM recently announced that Synexus, the world’s largest multi-national company dedicated to the recruitment and running of clinical trials, has selected a performance management solution from IBM.

This solution is being delivered in partnership with IBM partner, EnterpriseBI Ltd, and will be rolled out across Synexus centres in the UK, Eastern Europe and South Africa. Synexus selected to work with the IBM Cognos Software team based on its ability to provide software support, training and its range of blueprints, which share industry best practice.

The clinical trials industry has become one of the most complex and rapidly changing arenas in the healthcare market; the increasing complexity of studies, the rising awareness of drug safety and an increasingly stringent regulatory environment have all contributed towards rising costs and have been key in mandating the quest for a new approach.

Synexus has been recognised as leading the revolution of the clinical trials industry via its innovative, centralised model. The introduction of the IBM performance management system is the next step in that journey and will provide Synexus with unrivalled control of the entire study lifecycle.

Malcolm Cantor, business information manager at Synexus said: “It is not uncommon for spreadsheets to be used for modelling and forecasting. Such systems lack enterprise class functionality and keeping multiple systems up-to-date and synchronised is error prone and an administrative nightmare.”

“Combined with the administrative burden, the increasingly complex environment is having a further impact on human resource costs due to the regulatory authorities’ need for more data. For an industry that is already struggling with increasing costs, this is an unwelcome burden. We chose IBM Cognos 8 BI to overcome these challenges.”

Clinical trials budgets run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Therefore the importance of effective clinical trial management cannot be overestimated. Understanding and predicting the exact performance of a large phase III trial can be a daunting and challenging task. Systems previously available to the market follow the accrual method, which has a number of limitations, not least the lack of flexibility and forecasting enabling the entire enrolment picture to be modelled. The new system provides a consolidated view, which facilitates communication across all stakeholders.

“Many organisations experiencing rapid expansion are increasingly seeing that spreadsheet-based reporting cannot deliver either the speed or level of quality needed in the fast-paced business world,” said Ged Simmons, country manager, IBM Cognos Performance Management and Business Intelligence, UK and Ireland.

“Organisations like Synexus need a system in place that cuts down on number crunching so that staff can focus on business-critical decision making. Complex clinical trials require the ability to manage and analyse vast volumes of data and it’s imperative Synexus is able to report on its data accurately as well as track budget spend,” he concluded.

The IBM solution, which has been developed in partnership with Synexus, has a number of benefits. The solution will further differentiate the Synexus model as an example of innovation, which adds significant value. Amongst other benefits the solution will enable Synexus to know whether it is forecasting sufficient patient numbers to meet study goals, whether patients are being enrolled fast enough to meet end points, which centres are underperforming, whether there is adequate balance between cost and performance and how much it will cost to get enrolment back on target.

About Synexus www.synexus.com
Synexus®, headquartered in Manchester, England, is the world’s largest multi-national company dedicated to the recruitment and running of late stage clinical trials by full time GCP trained investigators at its own clinical trial sites. Synexus® recruits participants for clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical, biotech and CROs. The clinical trials are then run and managed by Synexus® at 16 sites across the UK, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, India and South Africa. Synexus® currently has more than ten thousand patients enrolled in clinical trials.