IQVIA recently launched IQVIA Biotech and its new approach to providing clinical and commercial services for small biopharma companies. The solutions suite aims to simplify operating procedures by providing specialized teams and services to help biopharma clients reach their drug development and commercialization milestones. IQVIA Biotech aims to deliver a transparent and streamlined process from initial planning to trial design and implementation to market launch and commercialization.

The company’s services incorporate real world evidence resources, advanced analytics, and technology to help drive efficiencies. The company will leverage its therapeutic and scientific expertise to address specific needs at each milestone on the clinical development path and on the pre- and post-approval commercialization path. Key therapy areas for IQVIA Biotech include oncology, central nervous system, dermatology, cardiovascular, and immunology.

Contract Pharma spoke with Richard Staub, President, Research & Development Solutions at IQVIA about the new service and the specific needs of emerging biopharma companies. –KB
 

Contract Pharma: Why decide to launch IQVIA Biotech now?
 
Richard Staub: Emerging biopharma companies (EBP) represent a significant and growing portion of the global clinical outsourcing market. With decades of experience working with EBP companies, we have a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities they face, and we saw a greater opportunity to put additional resources in place to help these companies overcome these challenges and succeed in their effort to get much needed treatments to patients.
 
CP: What are the specific needs of emerging biotech companies that are currently unaddressed in the marketplace?
 
RS: Emerging biopharma companies are looking for flexible, therapeutically aligned, integrated clinical and/or commercial solutions, from planning through trial design and implementation, to launch and commercialization. Our deep therapeutic and scientific expertise allows the IQVIA Biotech team to address specific needs at each milestone on the clinical development path and on the pre- and post-approval commercialization path. Too often small and emerging companies don’t get the attention and prioritization they need. They are looking for partners who understand their unique challenges and who demonstrate their same commitment to success. 
 
CP: How does IQVIA Biotech address these needs?

RS: IQVIA Biotech services are designed specifically to help emerging biopharma companies reach their drug development and commercialization milestones. From initial planning to trial design and implementation to market launch and commercialization, IQVIA Biotech delivers a therapeutically aligned, streamlined process with a deep foundation in science. ​
 
For the emerging biopharma companies (EBP) R&D market, we have created a separate division that will provide small and emerging customers the hands-on attention of a smaller organization, with specialized teams, pricing, and SOPs that provide flexibility – combined with IQVIA’s novel solutions, including real-world evidence, advanced analytics and transformative technologies to drive efficiencies and innovation.
 
IQVIA Biotech delivers solutions designed specifically to help these companies succeed and to address what our biotech and biopharma customers have asked for — transparent and fit-for-purpose clinical processes with dedicated, therapeutically aligned teams, coupled with our full suite of capabilities.
 
CP: What specific services do biopharma clients increasingly seek out?
 
RS: Emerging biopharma companies are seeking a broad range of clinical and commercial solutions. IQVIA Biotech offers a full range of clinical development services, from planning to design to approval. Our capabilities include the analytics, technology and resources our customers need to plan the launch and commercialization pre- and post-approval of their products, and the real-world evidence needed to support pricing, safety, compliance, and regulatory requirements.
 
CP: Please describe the typical client seeking outsourcing solutions.
 
RS: Companies seeking these types of solutions range from virtual, private companies with limited funding and who are looking to partner commercially, all the way to more robust public companies with more developed research & development and commercial capabilities.

 

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Richard Staub is president of the Research & Development Solutions global business unit at IQVIA, leading the world’s largest contract research organization (CRO). Supported by high-powered information and technology assets, the clinical experts in Research & Development Solutions leverage comprehensive, evidence-driven trial design, accelerate site activation and patient recruitment, and optimize trial execution. Richard also serves as chair of the Research & Development Solutions Executive Committee.
 
Previously, he led Novella Clinical, a specialty clinical research organization acquired by Quintiles in 2013. Richard joined Novella in 2004 and served as both president and CEO. Under his leadership, Novella became a distinctively agile, results-oriented CRO in the highly complex and fast-growing areas of specialty pharma and medical technology. Prior to Novella, he was senior vice president of global business development for one of the world’s largest CROs. Richard’s career in the pharmaceutical industry began at Zeneca Pharmaceuticals in 1989 where he was given increasing responsibilities as a medical and hospital sales representative, cardiovascular portfolio analyst and marketing manager.