News

December 21, 2015

75+ Clinical Research Leaders Convene at the Inaugural DrugDev Innovation Summit to Discuss the Current and Future Impact of Technology

Highlights of the Summit included keynotes by Ken Getz (Tufts CSDD and CISCRP) and Jay Scott (Alex’s Lemonade Stand), best practice case studies and customer-led Breakout Sessions on key industry topics

KING OF PRUSSIA, PA AND LONDON, UK – DECEMBER 21, 2015 – DrugDev was honored to welcome more than 75 clinical research leaders to its inaugural DrugDev Innovation Summit, which was hosted by Janssen Pharmaceuticals at the Ethicon Learning Center in Bridgewater, NJ. Co-located with the bi-annual Investigator Databank meeting, the Summit gathered thought leaders to discuss how technology can fundamentally change clinical research – enabling the industry to do more trials and bring more drugs to patients who need them.

Highlights of the DrugDev Summit:

  • Keynotes by Ken Getz (Tufts CSDD, CISCRP) on the challenges of increased protocol complexity, and Jay Scott (Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation) sharing his daughter’s poignant yet inspiring story and her ongoing mission to conquer childhood cancer.
  • Case studies and best practices presented by leading companies including Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Shire, Genentech, BioMarin, INC Research, CSL Behring, Parexel, Nektar, Novo Nordisk and PHRI.
  • Cross-functional Breakout Sessions hosted by customers focused on key topics such as industry-wide collaboration and data sharing, moving beyond site engagement, achieving lean site startup, and driving site adoption of technology.

Because the two-day agenda was driven primarily by attendees, it provided a unique opportunity for collaboration among peers. Feedback from attendees:

  • “It was great to make in-person connections with so many people I deal with via email or phone. I think the Summit was great, and I think having our Investigator Databank meeting tied into it was even better.” – Reb Buckley, Clinical Innovation at Pfizer
  • “In my 17-plus years in the industry, I have never gained so much value and insight from a meeting as I did at the two days of the DrugDev Summit!” – Michele Famularo, Head, U.S. Site Contracts and Budgets at Bayer HealthCare.
  • “I was really impressed with the level of engagement DrugDev has with its clients – it’s the ‘special sauce’ I attribute to the leadership and culture of the organization” – Susan Romberg, Vice President, Global Clinical Development U.S., Chiltern International

“I was humbled and inspired that so many expert clinical research professionals made time in their busy schedules to join us for two days of open collaboration across companies – which I believe is the only way to achieve real change in the industry,” said Ibraheem (Ibs) Mahmood, DrugDev President and CEO. “There were many powerful and memorable moments at the Summit, from Jay Scott reminding everyone in the room of why we do what we do, to passionate debates in the Breakout Sessions, to the new and valuable relationships that formed between peers. On behalf of everyone at DrugDev, I’d like to thank our customers for sharing their honest experiences, challenges and best practices to stimulate thought-provoking discussions. It is an exciting time in clinical research and we are on the precipice of real change. I am already looking forward to an even bigger and better DrugDev Summit next year.”
About DrugDev
DrugDev enables sponsors, CROs and sites to Do More Trials through industry-wide collaboration, standardization and a beautiful technology experience. Built around the largest global network of active opted-in investigators, DrugDev’s unified solutions suite optimizes site selection and startup, investigator payments and clinical operations. DrugDev also serves as the trusted third-party host of the revolutionary Investigator Databank collaboration and powers the TransCelerate Investigator Registry (launching soon). Learn why 9 of the top 10 sponsors and 4 of the top 5 CROs rely on DrugDev technology to do more trials at drugdev.com – and connect with DrugDev on LinkedIn and Twitter to join the conversation.