Clinical Grant Spending, What is New at TTC, and Wisdom from the Help Desk.
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| March 2011
Philadelphia, PA |
| Clinical Grant Expenditures |
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| Newsletter Article by H.E. Glass, Ph.D. |
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| Looking at our 2009 Clinical Grant Expenditure data we found some interesting results. Overall, grant spending has increased minimally, with 2009 expenditures totaling $11.6 billion, a small increase from 2008's $11.5 billion in spending. And, once again, the United States, with $5.6 billion in total grant spending, led the way in clinical grant expenditures. |
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| An even closer look at the numbers told us that the average cost per patient spending increased in almost every country. At the same time, the number of patients worldwide held steady, with a growing number of patients being allocated from more expensive to less expensive countries. |
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| We also found that the number of patients dropped in traditional clinical research geographies, such as the United States, France and Germany. Between 2008 and 2009, the US number fell 19%; France saw a 28% decrease in this period, and Germany's patient number declined 16%. We expect this drop will continue in 2010 as companies shift patients and sites to less expensive geographies. For example, from 2008 to 2009, patient numbers in Thailand skyrocketed 324%, Mexico grew 34%, and Brazil increased by 25%. |
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| What's New in the TTC Pipeline? Late Phase Advantage |
| Newsletter Article by L.G. Poli, Ph.D. |
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| Focusing on the increased demands for late phase studies, TTC,llc is responding to these needs by expanding the clinical costs data tools for phase 3b and phase 4 requirements. Our research of the Medical Affairs organizations within the pharmaceutical companies indicates added pressures to reduce costs without affecting the outcomes of the studies. The forecasting, budgeting and managing activities within the late phase organizations are in need of improvements to increase speed and manage costs. |
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| TTC, llc introduces Late Phase Advantage. This new tool provides clients with an efficient means to forecast, budget and manage their late phase studies. Cost data are from the most current investigator grants available in the industry collected from 62 countries. The budgeting section of Late Phase Advantage identifies costs associated with procedures and activities defined in the study as well as the means to highlight the medical procedures paid by insurance companies and government health care programs. Additionally, included in the Late Phase Advantage tool are the capabilities to evaluate and to compare proposals from CROs invited to conduct the phase 3b and phase 4 studies. |
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| With provisions in Late Phase Advantage users can review the costs submitted as part of the proposals submitted by investigators and compare these costs to industry benchmark costs. This gives clients a negotiating advantage in dealing with these investigator submissions. |
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| Finally, added speed to study start is achieved with Late Phase Advantage through the online negotiation capabilities offered to clients when dealing with CROs and investigators toward contract agreement. |
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| From The Help Desk |
| March 2011 |
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| In this issue of 'from the helpdesk', we will put clarity around the scales section of GrantPlan. As you know so well, scales can add substantial costs to any budget; and it is important to budget them well. |
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There are two large categories of scales, those completed by the interviewer or physician and those done by the subject. There are instances where patient-completed scales are not seen in grants because the sponsor makes the assumption that certain scales are to be included in the trial and are not negotiated in the budget. In each description of the scales we have noted who will be involved in completing the questionnaire, scale, index or score.
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| We have more than 900 rating scales in GrantPlan at the moment, but still there are times when GrantPlan may not have an exact match. In those cases we ask for an example description of the item to best match it to an existing code in GrantPlan. Should that not produce a good match; we suggest searching for Unspecified rating scales for both physician and subject completed scales. |
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| As always, we are here to assist you with any budgeting, forecasting, or technical questions you may have. Simply send an email to help@ttc-llc.com and we will be happy to assist you. |
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| Happy Benchmarking! |
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| Please be aware that Estonia switched to the Euro. We are currently in the process of updating this in GrantPlan. |