Article 177: SMOs: Is Scale the Answer?

• A recent wave of consolidation announcements is signaling a major turning point for SMOs operating throughout the United States.
• This juncture marks a divergence in strategic directions taken by large and established SMOs. One side is looking to accelerate their expansion; the other to focus on creating more efficiency and productivity.

Article 178: Making Progress in Gender-Specific Medicine

• FDA, NIH and industry are all contributing to the increase in the number of clinical research programs assessing gender-specific differences.
• A growing number of investigative sites will see protocols designed to determine gender differences. Sites with expertise in conducting women's health studies can expect strong growth in the coming three to five years.

Article 179: CentreStage Europe: European Healthcare System Drives Study Conduct Structure

• Due to differences in national health care systems around the world, it is clear that the structure of study conduct service providers - investigative sites - varies greatly. European doctors seem to have little interest in the commercial aspect of clinical trials. Physicians do not want to refer patients to specialists for fear of losing the income from those patients, and investigators may have to pay extra taxes. Most trials in Europe are instead carried out in the general practitioner/hospital setting; commercial sites are hard to come by.

Article 180: Eye On: Macular Degeneration: Research Becomes More Important as the Population Ages

• CenterWatch estimates that $25 million to $35 million is being spent on research, with approximately 12 drugs in the pipeline for macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central area of the retina, the macula, that is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye. Since current treatments can't restore lost vision, scientists are trying to develop drugs that will slow down or reduce vision loss in early stage patients with macular degeneration.