What are appropriate turnaround times as images pass through the different stages of a clinical trial? Is the pharmaceutical industry applying outmoded thinking? Here's the context for such questions. A few weeks back, we ran an article on benchmarks in imaging. In brief, Perceptive Informatics, a division of Parexel, had adopted some standards in consultation with a…more...

Last Friday, we wrote up the recent Drug Information Association (DIA) presentation by Quintiles VP of global data solutions, Thomas Grundstrom. But the ground rules of the DIA meeting bar speakers from self-promotion or advancing the messages of their employers. That left us with a few unanswered questions. Grundstrom was happy to address those in a conversation…more...

It’s easy to give a sharp salute to "quality." What modern research organization would oppose it? Quality refrigerators, quality cars, quality overnight packages can be defined easily. Quality in a clinical trial is a bit murkier. By definition, every trial is one of a kind, with clinical, operational, regulatory and technological aspects that are unique. Having said…more...

Large life science companies have fired untold tens of thousands of employees during every year of the ongoing downturn—a period of both financial chaos and pharmaceutical mega-mergers. Here's one estimate, and another. Yesterday, having digested Schering Plough, Merck announced it would terminate 15,000 people and close eight research locations. Which doesn't mean the research industry is devoid…more...