Quintiles, Kaiser Permanente Enter Drug Development Alliance

Quintiles and Kaiser Permanente’s Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) have entered an agreement aimed at accelerating the development of new and more effective medicines.

SCPMG will join three of Quintiles’ global sites and both companies will work together to enhance the productivity and quality of clinical research offered at the SCPMG site. According to the companies, biopharmaceutical companies sponsoring trials will benefit from greater collaboration between clinicians and research professionals, and robust processes for reducing complexity and accelerating trials.

Adam Chasse, head of global prime sites at Quintiles, said, “Quintiles undertakes more clinical research than any other organization, and that is why our customers rely on us to help them navigate risk and seize opportunity in this new landscape we call the new health. It is therefore critical that we develop alliances with healthcare providers that share our focus on developing new and better medicines while keeping patient care at the forefront. Kaiser Permanente’s rich background in clinical, epidemiologic, and translational research is a natural fit with Quintiles’ core capabilities.”

Donald S. Fong, M.D., MPH, director of clinical trials, SCPMG Department of Research & Evaluation, said, “The Southern California Permanente Clinical Trials program works on the premise that all clinical trials research should focus on advancing the practice of medical care to improve health outcomes through rigorously designed and executed trials. Investigators are practicing physicians who use their clinical and methodological training to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical practice. Typically, clinical trials research in Kaiser Permanente is aimed at evaluating the impact of interventions at the bedside. This perspective ensures that trials address meaningful questions.”