TrialSpark, Sanofi Strike Deal to Improve Clinical Trial Process

TrialSpark, a technology company that helps streamline the clinical trial process, has partnered with global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi to conduct clinical studies and accelerate the development of new treatments for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

TrialSpark’s system is expected to improve the enrollment of Black and Hispanic COPD patients, two communities that are usually underrepresented in clinical studies.

“Over the past years, executing clinical trials for primary care indications in the US has been challenging,” Terttu Haring, global head of clinical innovation at Sanofi, said in a press release. “We’re excited to work with TrialSpark to bring increased efficiency to clinical trials and to bring studies to underserved patient populations.”

“The way they run clinical trials will actually improve patient diversity and access to therapeutics, and the fact that they hold themselves contractually accountable to this work really sets them apart in the industry,” she said.

TrialSpark seeks to make the clinical trial process faster, easier, and more efficient by connecting and supporting three main components: clinical trial sites, community doctors, and patients. This more holistic approach can shorten recruitment and enrollment times by improving communication between trial sites and healthcare providers caring for patients who may be eligible to participate in clinical studies.

The strategy might also help to enroll patients belonging to certain racial or ethnic minorities who are typically not included in clinical trials.

“Our teams are excited to collaborate and create novel solutions together that drive faster trial execution and engage a more diverse set of patients,” said Joe Zaccaria, business development director at TrialSpark.

The company’s integrated platform also facilitates trial management. Using large, anonymized data sets of health records, TrialSpark can identify previously overlooked ‘hotspots’ of potential study candidates who might benefit from ongoing trials.

TrialSpark previously teamed up with Novartis and Pfizer, two global pharmaceutical companies, to improve the speed and access of their clinical trials.