Inato, a global industry marketplace that matches research sites to the right clinical trial protocols, has announced that over 500 sites across more than 30 countries are participating in its Marketplace. Sanofi and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany have also joined the Marketplace, which will further Inato’s mission to accelerate the pace of medical innovation to improve people’s lives.
 
Using a data-driven approach — coupled with a high-touch qualification and support process — the Inato Marketplace provides research sites the opportunity to search and match for trials based on their qualifications, interests and patient needs.
 
By reliably matching sites and trials on a global scale, the Marketplace enables trial sponsors to confidently work with a broader range of qualified sites and rapidly expand the pool of patients engaged in their trials.
 
“Trials rely increasingly on a small number of large sites (with 5% of sites running 70% of trials), which means that only patients with privileged access to these sites have an opportunity to participate in trials,” said Lionel Bascles, senior VP, global head of clinical sciences & operations at Sanofi. “Inato’s marketplace approach goes beyond these widely used large sites and matches trials with the sites that are best aligned with the protocol and are looking to offer more trials to their patients, and hopefully increase patient diversity. Building on the past year’s collaboration with Inato, we at Sanofi are investigating how to best leverage the Inato Marketplace to expand patient access and better deliver on our clinical research portfolio.”
 
“Inato’s data-driven, marketplace-based approach allows sponsor organizations across the globe to enrich their trial strategies, reach more diverse patients, and increase site engagement,” said Rodrigo Garcia, MD, head of clinical innovation at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. “As part of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials strategy, we look forward to leveraging the global Inato Marketplace to rapidly identify highly qualified sites with a strong connection to the diverse patients that they serve in their communities.”
 
“Trials must adapt to patients and sites that treat them — not the other way around,” added Kourosh Davarpanah, co-founder and CEO of Inato. “We’re thrilled to continue to see so many sites and sponsors across the globe share our vision of a world where participating in trials is simple enough that any doctor can offer the right trial for their patients, thereby making clinical research more inclusive and efficient.”
 
New Assessment Feature
 
In addition to its continued site and sponsor momentum, Inato recently launched an evidence-based diversity assessment feature, which allows sponsors to easily match their protocols to sites with expertise in patient diversity. The methodology used to build the diversity assessment leverages guidance from industry and FDA publications, input from industry leaders in diversity, and deep engagement with sites in the Inato Marketplace.
 
So far, more than 90 sites in the Inato Marketplace have completed the diversity assessment, with nearly half receiving gold badges for their diversity capabilities and achievements.