Part I: Patient Recruitment in Germany, an Inside Look with QuoMedic

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Part I: Patient Recruitment in Germany, an Inside Look with QuoMedic

When conducting multinational patient recruitment campaigns, clinical trial sponsors need “on-the-ground” experts with first-hand knowledge of cultural acceptances in each of the study’s locations. Founded by BBK, the Patient Recruitment Global Alliance is comprised of vetted, trained, and experienced clinical trial communications and technology companies. The Alliance works across continents and time zones to meet the demands of today’s complex multinational enrollment challenges.

In this two-part interview series, we will showcase the expertise of our Alliance partner, QuoMedic, a subset of MEDEORA. QuoMedic specializes in providing consultation, planning, and implementation services for clinical trial patient recruitment throughout the European continent.

Share with us QuoMedic’s history, services, and relation to the clinical R&D industry.

QuoMedic was born out of the success of MEDEORA, which originated at the University Hospital of Cologne and was established ten years ago. MEDEORA offers software solutions for the management of biological samples (biobanking) and medical data within clinical studies and scientific research projects.

Due to the outstanding development of services in the area of clinical research, QuoMedic was founded to stay abreast of these developments in particular. This is why at QuoMedic we not only plan and supervise drug monitoring and research projects for clients in the pharmaceutical sector, university hospitals, institutions in the health sector, and privately-run hospitals, but we also offer patient recruitment for clinical trials in all therapeutic areas together with our experienced partner, BBK Worldwide.

What is the general sentiment towards participating in clinical trials in Europe?

As far as pharmaceutical research is concerned, clinical studies are promoted differently in the various countries of Europe, partly because research infrastructures and healthcare financing are very different. If you look at the willingness of patients to participate in clinical trials in Germany for example, one can say that the people here are more reluctant, and that a high degree of sensitivity and discreet recruitment measures are needed to get patients to participate in a study. This is why advice from an independent medical examiner is a key factor for successful patient recruitment. In terms of clinical studies on an international scale, it is therefore essential to understand cross-cultural differences in order to implement patient recruitment in a culturally appropriate manner. Our network of partners in Europe allows us to quickly implement concurrent campaigns throughout the region and adapt them to the customs of each country.

Stay tuned for part two of this series to hear more from QuoMedic about clinical trials and patient recruitment in Germany.

Autor: Cécilia Mesa, 30.09.2013