Milestones
10th anniversary marked with rebranding
GxP Consulting (formerly GxPi Ltd.), a provider of compliance services to the pharma and biopharma industries, has launched its newly designed and improved Website and a new name as it celebrates 10 years in business. The new Website, accessible at gxp.gpdev.co.uk, has been designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the consulting company’s expanding range of services. With headquarters in Nottingham, U.K., and offices in Irvine, Calif., the company provides compliance services to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries via a range of tailored solutions. A recent addition to the portfolio of services includes a clinical technology consulting division to support biopharma sponsors and technology vendors with expertise across EDC, ePRO, IVR, CTMS, document management, and other technology solutions. For more information, visit gxp.gpdev.co.uk. 15 Years and Going Strong Complete Healthcare Communications Group, which opened its offices 15 years ago in Chadds Ford, Pa., now consists of three distinct divisions: Complete Healthcare Communications (1994), Complete Publication Solutions (2007), and CHC Europe (March 2009). CHC Europe, with offices in Amsterdam, is led by Managing Director Arjen van Willigenburg. According to CHC Group President and Founder Robert Norris, the European office marks the beginning of the next stage of the company’s growth. For more information, visit chcinc.com. The Medicine Cabinet Cost Affecting Adherence Sticker shock is taking a toll on Americans when they fill their prescriptions: 66% of those polled by Consumer Reports said they found out the cost of a drug when they picked it up at the pharmacy counter, while just 4% said they had a conversation with their doctor about the cost of a drug. And 28% of Americans told Consumer Reports they’d taken potentially dangerous actions to save money, such as not filling prescriptions, skipping dosages, and cutting pills in half without the approval of their doctor. Misgivings About Generics n 47% of Americans polled had reservations or misconceptions about taking generic drugs. n 46% of Americans polled said their physician never or sometimes recommended generics. n Accurate information about generics is not reaching the consumers who could benefit the most, such as those spending more than $50 a month on prescription drugs (52%). DTC Advertising n One-fifth of people who regularly take a prescription medication have requested a drug from their doctor that they had seen in a drug ad and the majority (67%) said their doctor wrote the prescription. n 80% of the same group said they had received free drug samples from their doctors. Undue Influence n Consumers perceive the undue influence of pharma companies on their doctors. Those practices raising the greatest concern among consumers were rewarding doctors who write a lot of prescriptions (82%); receiving fully paid trips (77%) or gifts worth more than $50 (76%); and paying for doctors’ attendance at meetings (67%). Source: Consumer Reports, published by Consumers Union Top 10 IT Trends for 2009 In 2009, two powerful forces will collide in the IT market: a deep global recession and a radical IT industry transformation. 1. Global IT growth will be cut in half. 2. Emerging markets and small-business spending will slow significantly. 3. The IT industry’s expansion to “the cloud" will accelerate. 4. The struggling offline economy will drive more shoppers to the online economy. 5. The telecom industry will consolidate, and expand, in 2009. 6. It will be a grim year for mobile gadgets. 7. The crumbling of the “business/personal" wall in IT will accelerate. 8. The reinvention of information access and analysis will accelerate in 2009. 9. Green technologies will have a good year, disguised as “cost cutting." 10. Government initiatives in 2009 will catalyze massive IT investments and industry growth. Global CRO Update The global clinical-trials business, which was valued at about $50 billion in 2008, is expected to grow by 10%. The pharmaceutical industry has witnessed rapid expansion of outsourced clinical services in both the West and in developing nations, most notably India and China. Importantly, pharmaceutical and biotechnological companies are increasingly delegating the responsibility of clinical trials to CROs.