How to Choose a Contract Research Organization?
There are many reasons why the Pharma industry is heading towards an outsourcing spree, especially for manufacturing and research requirements. One primary reason for this trend is the costs. Contract Research Organizations (CROs) or Contract Research and Manufacturing Services (CRAMS) are businesses that help pharma companies with their research and manufacturing which are very capital and resource-intensive.
Choosing the right third-party research and manufacturing partners to accomplish your business goals can get tricky at times. With so many CROs to pick from, what kind of valuation gauges should be used? In many ways, opting for a partner is no different than choosing any other vendor; however, the association between a sponsor and a CRO or CRAMS also has its exclusive tones. We recommend assessment of your research and manufacturing partner based on the below-listed parameters –
- Service Portfolio and Experience
A CRO’s experience, service, and product portfolio play a key role when you are building your consideration list. Get hands on to a CRO’s track record and how they have fared in delivering services to their existing and past clients. The simplest way to get such information is just by asking. Ask everything about their services and experiences. Best CRO companies do not hide anything and are open to sharing any kind of information that you seek.
- Research and Manufacturing Infrastructure, Processes and Resources
Without the right infrastructure, it is very difficult for CROs to deliver what their clients have asked for. Get a hang of what resources and infrastructure does your prospective partner has. Be it their research centers, manufacturing facilities and processes used, quality of their human power, etc. try assessing them before you sign your contract. Another important point to note is the compliant and completeness of their services. If need be, visit sites and facilities for a better understanding of whom you are dealing with.
- Value and Transparency
While cost-effectiveness will be a key assortment thought and an anticipated benefit of a CRO partnership, it is not characteristically a leading measure. Pay interest on evaluating the value that a CRO can deliver concerning the quality of delivery. When quality is given higher importance than quantity, the value becomes a virtue. Transparency is another parameter that you as a pharma company should look to seek. Assessment of your CRO partner’s ability to provide full visibility to execution processes, plan, manufacturing & research data, their partners, etc. should be looked into deeply as well.
Conclusion
When you are in the process of assessing a contract manufacturing and research partner, be sure to take a disciplined approach that includes perceptible as well as intangible parameters. Competent third party research and manufacturing organizations will have the expertise and experience your therapeutic area, will be commercially stable, establish a sense of true collaboration, and display compliance and suppleness in making real-time amendments when needed. A good Contract Research Organization also makes it simple to perform passable study oversight and documentation permitting its sponsors to achieve quality professionally and pragmatically.
