Clinical research can be long and laborious, and pharmaceutical companies often rely on functional outsourcing to ease the burden. With complex trials focusing on increasingly sophisticated therapies, data accuracy and trust are necessities when outsourcing vital processes like programming and statistics. A functional service provider (FSP) can take on some key responsibilities that would otherwise consume resources without relinquishing control of the project or data, as often occurs with full-service outsourcing. This allows pharmaceutical companies to reduce risk and lower costs without sacrificing quality, making FSP solutions an increasingly popular choice.
Examine the benefits of utilizing a functional service provider in today’s pharmaceutical research landscape.
Lower Costs
Pharmaceutical sponsors are often under pressure to increase productivity while maintaining proficiency at lower costs. This can be difficult when deliverables require expertise to create and are outsourced as a package to a CRO. A functional service provider in clinical research can help in several ways:
- FSPs reduce the operational friction and oversight costs that often result from fully outsourced projects, so you don’t have to pay to double-check others’ work and fix mistakes.
- Choosing an FSP partner that integrates with your team and understands technical requirements allows them to use your systems and processes, streamlining the use of technology and saving valuable time and resources.
- When utilizing an FSP, you gain the technological know-how and skills of their workforce within the contract. This gives you access to specialized services while the FSP maintains responsibility for the cost of recruiting, managing, and training the team members supporting your projects.
Improved Quality and Governance
As the function that performs the analysis of the clinical trial data and creates data submission packages for regulators, statistics and programming are of utmost importance in clinical research. Every deliverable needs to be accurate and on time to ensure clinical development decisions are made at pace. But even when a sponsor transfers all trial-related duties and functions to a CRO, they are always ultimately responsible for the quality and integrity of the trial data. A collaborative FSP works as an extension of your team, often within your systems, and can demonstrate quality, progress, and project control in real-time. The combination of collaboration, specialist technical expertise, and understanding of systems and processes allows FSPs to deliver exceptional work, provides the sponsor with a greater sense of control, and minimizes the need for additional oversight.
Not only does this ensure your outsourced work is of the highest caliber, but it also allows you to continue to focus on your core business processes. FSPs let you make the most of your day-to-day efforts and provide the flexibility to respond to changes in scope and timelines during clinical trial execution. Because the expert talent of the FSP absorbs operational pressures, your workforce is free to focus on other value-adding activities in the clinical trial.
Flexibility & Scalability Without the Hassle
Flexibility is essential in pharmaceuticals. Not every study is the same. Shifting resources can increase efficiency and speed up timelines but can be complicated. A partnership with a functional service provider allows you to find a team that fits your needs and puts the cost and management of redeployment on the FSP. An FSP will utilize expert staff in the best ways possible, scaling a project appropriately and moving personnel into new projects as they become available. For you, that means efficient scalability without lengthy and costly hiring or onboarding processes.
Communication & Transparency
A skilled functional service provider will prioritize communication and transparency in their relationship with a pharmaceutical company from the beginning of the onboarding process and throughout the partnership. Account managers at the right FSP will work with you to anticipate your needs, identify pain points, and ensure you can maintain oversight via the best possible channels and touchpoints. This builds trust, streamlines workflows, and allows the FSP to move support where and when needed.
The key here is choosing the right functional service provider.
Choosing an FSP in Clinical Research
Partnering with the right FSP is vital to the success of your clinical trials. When you don’t have the resources internally, you need to be able to trust and rely on your FSP. Veramed views an FSP model as a collaborative relationship based on common values, trust, and a commitment by both parties to open communication.
We believe there are five key factors for success in our FSP partnerships:
- A quality first focus that delivers 100% quality every time, on time
- Long-term resource assignment, particularly for complex studies
- High staff retention so that project and program knowledge is retained
- Senior accountability and a strong operational governance framework
- Strong technical knowledge and deep understanding of specific requirements
- Experienced professionals working as an extension of your team
We pride ourselves on our capabilities and have helped numerous Sponsors reach their goals. If you’re interested in a real-world understanding of how we build relationships and deliver for Sponsors, feel free to check out this case study.
Get in touch with Veramed today to begin reaping the benefits of a solid FSP partnership!
