Phesi, a data-driven provider of clinical development analytics products and solutions, on Aug. 5 announced a new country selection functionality has been added to ClinSite, its platform to provide investigator site intelligence to clients, enabling investigator site selection and management. The new functionality has been added in response to the industry-wide problem of non-performing countries and sites being included in clinical trials. An analysis of more than 3,000 trials shows that on average, 31 percent of participating countries did not contribute patients adequately. ClinSite is an AI-powered tool including data from 4.2m physicians and 600,000 investigator sites, identified from over 80,000 sources and 330,000 clinical trials in more than 200 countries. The country selection functionality is powered by real-time enrolment data from live trials and will allow users to select top-performing countries and sites globally when planning a trial.
“Too often, a trial is executed in a country without access to the right patient population and countries are selected to participate in a trial based on insufficient data,” commented Dr. Gen Li, Founder and President, Phesi. “This is a long-standing issue for the industry but given the impact of COVID-19 it cannot continue – all companies and nations are facing considerable economic downturn. Our recent data analysis shows that inadequate country selection can cost up to $2.4m per trial, sponsors have to be able to take a data-driven approach and establish which countries have the most high-performing investigator sites for their indication and exactly which sites those are. Failure to do so will continue to waste resources and delay treatments reaching patients.”
A common mistake made in trial protocols is choosing a country because it has a high number of experienced investigator sites, but this does not guarantee it will deliver patients. Often this is caused by competition; for instance, competition for patients in cancer trials in the US is very high. Or, countries can have the same amount of investigator sites but vastly different numbers of unique investigators, so statistically one is more promising than the other. Because the country selection functionality is refreshed with patient enrolment data in real-time, sponsors can plan with confidence and reduce wasted spend. Users can choose the best sites based on parameters including, enrolment, data quality, and speed of site activation; Phesi can increase enrolment by up to 40 percent.
“Because ClinSite’s new country selection functionality is updated dynamically, sponsors can understand at a granular level the population available to participate in their trial. Combined with other capabilities in Phesi, this enables far more successful protocol design and design optimization,” continued Dr. Li. “This means that fewer trials have to be ‘rescued’ down the line. It also eliminates the significant costs incurred and time spent handling ‘change orders’ issued by CROs when a site is not performing, who then exacerbate the problem by recommending more potentially non-performing countries and sites compounding the issue further. By making use of available data, ClinSite lets biopharmaceutical companies and sponsors make evidence-based decisions that lead to successful trials.”
Following beta testing, all Phesi users have access to the country selection functionality now.
For more information on ClinSite, please visit: https://www.phesi.com/products/clinsite/.
Zenocutuzumab Shows Durable Efficacy in NRG1 Fusion-Positive Cancers in Phase II eNRGy Trial
February 13th 2025The Phase II eNRGy trial showed durable antitumor activity with zenocutuzumab (Bizengri) in patients with NRG1 fusion–positive cancers, particularly non-small cell lung cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Behind the Buzz: Why Clinical Research Leaders Flock to SCOPE Summit
February 7th 2025In this episode, we meet with Micah Lieberman, Executive Conference Director for SCOPE Summit (Summit for Clinical Ops Executives) at Cambridge Innovation Institute. We will dive deep into the critical role of collaboration within the clinical research ecosystem. How do we bring together diverse stakeholders—sponsors, CROs, clinical trial tech innovators, suppliers, patients, sites, advocacy organizations, investors, and non-profits—to share best practices in trial design, program planning, innovation, and clinical operations? We’ll explore why it’s vital for thought leaders to step beyond their own organizations and learn from others, exchanging ideas that drive advancements in clinical research. Additionally, we’ll discuss the pivotal role of scientific conferences like SCOPE Summit in fostering these essential connections and collaborations, helping shape the future of clinical trials. Join us as we uncover how collective wisdom and cross-industry partnerships are transforming the landscape of clinical research.
Reaching Diverse Patient Populations With Personalized Treatment Methods
January 20th 2025Daejin Abidoye, head of solid tumors, oncology development, AbbVie, discusses a number of topics around diversity in clinical research including industry’s greatest challenges in reaching diverse patient populations, personalized treatment methods, recruitment strategies, and more.
SCOPE Summit 2025: Enhancing the Patient Experience Through Site Centricity
February 12th 2025In an interview with ACT senior editor Andy Studna at SCOPE Summit, Ashley Davidson, vice president, product lead - sponsor tech strategy, Advarra, highlights the need for more site-centric approaches in study startup.