London, UK, May 27, 2014 -- Novartis, Janssen, Merck (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada), Lilly, and Pfizer have joined together with DrugDev in hosting a repository of specific investigator information as part of the Investigator Databank. In addition, investigators can now access the Investigator Databank through the launch of www.InvestigatorDatabank.org. Through this website, investigators can securely log in, view and add to their information kept on file by the participating pharmaceutical companies or DrugDev.

The Investigator Databank was established to improve the efficiency of industry-sponsored clinical trials and serves as a one-stop repository where key information about investigators and clinical trial sites, such as infrastructure and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) training records and site profile forms, are housed. Hosted by a third party, DrugDev, the Investigator Databank benefits both investigators and members of industry by increasing awareness of clinical trial opportunities for investigators, and by reducing the administrative burden of identifying clinical trial sites for the pharmaceutical industry.

With five member companies now on board, the Investigator Databank has grown to include nearly 180,000 investigators. With 50,000 sites and 7,335 studies, the Investigator Databank already includes four times more data than utilised in the 2013 Tufts analyses of clinical trial sites, published in Therapeutic Innovation & Regulatory Science, and is already bringing benefits to its member companies in identifying qualified investigators for their studies.

“During the past five years, pharmaceutical companies have been shifting towards a more collaborative culture aligned around a shared goal of making it easier, cheaper, and faster to conduct clinical research” said Jeff Kasher, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Medical R&D from Eli Lilly. “While many of these cross-pharmaceutical company collaborations have been successful in generating joint positioning papers and standards, examples of cross company-wide cooperation are much less common. We believe in the Investigator Databank philosophy that sharing information allows for better matching of investigators and future protocols, thus providing a benefit to both industry and doctors.”

In addition to facilitating cross-company sharing of investigator names, the Investigator Databank is also unique in allowing investigators to view their information held in member’s clinical trial management systems. Through www.InvestigatorDatabank.org, investigators can maintain their own individual and site profile, including the ability to: view data held on them and their site; comment on their study history record with the member companies; and upload training certificates (which are then mutually recognised by the member companies), CVs, and other documents.

"The global community of clinical trial investigators is a common and highly valued resource upon which the pharmaceutical industry relies. By supporting our investigators, and helping to optimize how they partner with our industry, we can continue to develop new therapies for the patients who need them,” commented David Detoro, Associate Vice President, Clinical Operations from Merck.

David Detoro further added, “The new website www.investigatordatabank.org enables the upload of standard essential documents such as CVs, GCP training certificates, and nonstudy specific site profile forms into a global repository, so we can also help sustain our investigator base by eliminating some of the repetitive, administrative tasks associated with study feasibility, site qualification, and site start-up.”

The Investigator Databank expects to expand further, welcoming new members who wish to support its aims of reducing administrative burden for investigators and increasing visibility of qualified investigators to research sponsors.

Contact: Elisa Cascade
Email: elisa.[email protected]
Telephone: +1 610 650 1890