New Network Builds on Success of the Company’s Early Phase, Oncology, Psychiatry and Vaccine Catalyst Site Networks
 Syneos Health™ (Nasdaq: SYNH), the only fully integrated biopharmaceutical solutions organization, today announced the launch of the Company’s Catalyst Ophthalmology Site Network. The newest therapeutic Network in the Syneos Health Catalyst Site Program will drive predictability and increased efficiency in ocular trials. The Ophthalmology Site Network includes 24 hand-selected high-performing sites from the U.S. and Europe that will work with Syneos Health to optimize ophthalmology trials, an increasingly complex and rapidly growing area of clinical development. The Ophthalmology Site Network is expected to grow to more than 30 sites globally in the coming months.
With the addition of the Ophthalmology Site Network, Syneos Health now has more than 100 sites across the U.S., U.K. and APAC in the Company’s Catalyst Site Program. The Catalyst Program was launched in 2016 to support faster start up and efficient delivery of studies for biopharmaceutical customers with multiple Site Networks in therapeutic areas including Early Phase, Oncology, Psychiatry and Vaccine clinical research.
“The Catalyst Site Program has shown us that when we collaborate with sites and partners, it’s possible to accelerate start up and run trials more predictably,” said Clare Grace, PhD, Vice President, Site and Patient Access, Syneos Health. “For example, our Vaccines Site Network enables site activation in 30 days. In the ocular space, where continued unmet needs carry significant quality of life implications, streamlining development could have powerful benefits for patients.”
Enhancing Leading Ophthalmology Expertise with High-Performing Site Network
Syneos Health will further bolster the delivery of high-quality ophthalmology trials by combining extensive therapeutic knowledge with the expertise of the new Ophthalmology Site Network. Syneos Health has conducted more than 50 studies in the last five years across all phases of development in age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion, glaucoma and many other ocular indications, with specialization including pediatric populations, rare and orphan diseases, advanced cell therapies and biosimilars.
“The goal of the Catalyst Ophthalmology Site Network is to raise the caliber of work in ophthalmology clinical trials,” commented Tom Zoda, PhD, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CNS Clinical Development, Syneos Health. “At a time when development of new medicines for front and back of the eye maladies has continued at a rapid pace, this is just one of the innovative ways we are leveraging our deep experience and relationships in eye diseases to make these trials easier for sites and more valuable for study sponsors.”
Participation in the therapeutically-aligned Network is by invitation only and offers members the opportunity to participate in an increased volume of ophthalmology-related trials while shaping new methodologies. As part of the Network relationship, each site receives a dedicated relationship manager to facilitate better alignment of protocols to their interests and expertise. In addition to the invited sites, the Ophthalmology Site Network will include fully integrated Central IRB and Reading Center services for comprehensive attention to study start up efficiency and critical data quality.
“After more than 20 years in retina clinical research, Black Hills Regional Eye Institute is pleased to participate in the Catalyst Ophthalmology Site Network,” said Prema Abraham, MD, a principal investigator with Black Hills Regional Eye Institute in South Dakota. “This collaboration will allow for the fast tracking of the start up process between sponsors and sites and significantly reduce redundancies while providing time-saving efficiencies. Offering patients access to potential treatment breakthroughs is our foremost goal as clinical researchers.”
Deepali Varma, MD, FRCOphth, Consultant Ophthalmologist & Deputy Director for Innovation, City Hospitals Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, UK, added, “Sunderland Eye Infirmary is delighted to be selected as the first European Catalyst Site in the Ophthalmology Network. Our collaboration with Syneos Health aligns with our vision of being at the forefront of groundbreaking research and using innovative models of healthcare delivery. Together we’ll develop best practices and new methodologies to promote high quality clinical research in ophthalmology.”