SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Onmark, a national group purchasing organization (GPO) for community-based practices, today announced a partnership with Quintiles Inc., a leading multi-national contract research organization, to create a national clinical trial network comprised of Onmark members. Through this partnership, community-based oncology practices will have the opportunity to participate in Phase II and III clinical trials of investigational cancer treatments.
Onmark launched the network by inviting its members to participate in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, Phase III trial of a potential breast cancer treatment. To date, more than 80 oncology practices have expressed an interest in participating.
“Nearly 600 new cancer medicines are currently in development, necessitating expanded access to cancer patients and oncologists for clinical trials,” said Kim Bergstrom, Pharm.D., chief clinical officer of OTN and clinical advisor to Onmark. “By providing Onmark members with access to leading clinical trials, we are strengthening our portfolio of clinical offerings and delivering valuable benefits to our members and their patients.”
As part of the agreement, Quintiles will also provide educational workshops about clinical trial management to Onmark members. In these workshops, nurses, practice administrators and clinicians will be trained about clinical trial protocol compliance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, informed consent, organizing a practice for research and other relevant topics.
“The opportunity for patients to participate in a clinical trial right in their own community is critical because it gives them access to potentially beneficial treatments beyond conventional therapy and means they do not have to travel long distances to university hospitals,” said Shawna Jarrett, president of Southern Oncology Association of Practices (SOAP), which represents more than 120 oncology practices in 12 states. “This new clinical trial offering complements the valuable clinical tools, educational programs and practice management resources that Onmark already provides,” she added. Several SOAP practices recently participated in two clinical trials training courses provided by Quintiles.
“Our partnership with Onmark represents the first time that Quintiles has entered into an exclusive clinical trial arrangement with a group purchasing organization,” said Adam R. Chasse, director, Global Access to Patients, for Quintiles. “Because the majority of oncology care is delivered in the community setting, it makes sense for us to partner with a community-focused GPO such as Onmark. Onmark’s membership of over 2,100 oncology practices nationwide will enhance our ability to conduct clinical trials and provide more treatment options for oncology patients.”
About Quintiles
Quintiles Transnational Corp. is powering the next generation of healthcare by providing a broad range of professional services in drug development, information, financial partnering and commercialization for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With 16,000 employees and offices in more than 50 countries, it is focused on providing customer-centric solutions that are the gold standard of the industry. For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.quintiles.com .
About Onmark
Onmark, an OTN company, is a leading national group purchasing organization (GPO) for community-based practices. It is one of the largest GPOs in the community-based treatment setting, with more than 2,100 members representing more than 3,700 physicians and over $4 billion in annual drug purchases. Through strategic relationships with OTN, pharmaceutical companies and industry experts, Onmark provides its members with access to a full portfolio of competitive contracts for oncology products and medical/surgical supplies, the most aggressive pricing available through OTN, practice management resources, clinical tools and educational programs. For information about the products, services and programs available to Onmark members, visit www.onmarkservices.com .
Onmark
CONTACT: Monique Weston of Onmark, +1-650-871-2108, ormonique.weston@onmarkservices.com; or Jani Bergan of WeissComm Partners,+1-415-946-1064, or jbergan@weisscommpartners.com, for Onmark
