Getting the Right Clinical Research Organization

Originally Published MX September/October 2005

BUSINESS PLANNING & TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Five strategies can help medtech firms discern among the hundreds of CROs out in the marketplace.

Jon LeSage

In the process of developing innovative medical products and preparing them for market launch, clinical research organizations (CROs) play an integral role. While some device manufacturers can afford the luxury of a fully staffed clinical research function, most medtech companies rely on the services of CROs to perform the myriad duties related to the clinical testing of their products. Such extramural organizations assist in clinical trial design, selection of investigators, patient recruitment, study monitoring, data analysis, and a variety of other tasks that may ultimately determine whether a medtech company's product is safe, efficacious, and ready for the marketplace.