Article 349: Taking Patient Recruitment In-House

• More than one-third of top sponsors have created in-house recruitment functions and another 25% report that they are now planning to do so. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and GlaxoSmithKline have all made significant strides in centralizing their patient recruitment initiatives. BMS’ Tour of Hope campaign is on the leading edge of these initiatives.

Article 350: International Enthusiasm for EDC

• Use of EDC in clinical trials and support for CDISC standards are now growing at a faster pace in Western Europe and Japan than in North America. International sponsors and investigative sites report having had more positive experiences with EDC. Japan, in particular, reports extremely high hopes to rein in clinical trial expenses using eCT technologies.

Article 351: Building Momentum for Europe’s Pediatric Clinical Trials

• More than 75 million people in Europe are under the age of 19, and the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (EMEA) estimates at least 50% of drugs used for children are used off-label or on an unlicensed basis. In response, the European Commission aims to implement legislation regulating drugs for pediatric use as outlined in its 2001 draft proposals: Better Medicines For Children.

Article 352: Eye on: Epilepsy

• Epilepsy affects 2.5 million Americans and 40 million people worldwide. CenterWatch has identified a pipeline of 12 drugs in development for epilepsy.