• Following consolidation in the late 1990s, the SMO market has continued to grow and expand. Thirty-three SMOs have entered the market during the past several years; 67 sites have been acquired; and more than $50 million in capital has been raised to drive future growth and infrastructure. Recently, several major SMOs have diversified their operations to include patient recruitment, pharmacogenomic and traditional CRO services.

Article 294: Minimizing Volunteer Dropout

• A CenterWatch analysis of completion records provided by IRBs reveals that an estimated 26% of volunteers in phase I-IV clinical trials drop out after providing their consent to participate. Dropout rates are highest in phase II/III and lowest in post-approval studies. Given its impact on delaying development cycle time and increasing project costs, biopharmaceutical companies, CROs and investigative sites are now focusing more attention and resources on improving volunteer retention rates.

Article 295: CentreStage Europe: Top Tips for Better Global Communication

• European site management organizations are continuing to struggle to gain recognition as valuable assets in the clinical trial process. The SMO market in Europe remains poorly understood and ill-defined.

• CenterWatch has identified a pipeline of 21 drugs in development for obesity such as lipase inhibitors, which reduce fat absorption.