Contract in a day

Today’s pharma companies are facing a range of commercial challenges, from pricing pressures to strains on their cost base and loss of market exclusivity as patents expire. Despite some of these challenges, AstraZeneca has transformed its pipeline into one of the best in the pharmaceutical industry. It has done this not only by pushing the boundaries of science, but also by introducing transformative programmes designed to make it as efficient as it can be to deliver its drug programmes to produce more life-changing treatments for patients.

AstraZeneca saw the opportunity to further optimise its clinical trial start-up process by addressing a significant bottleneck: contracting - a key step when it comes to setting up a trial. Contracting with healthcare institutions (such as hospitals) to carry out company-sponsored clinical trials is the first step in starting a trial, and is widely cited within the industry as the number one cause of delays in getting a trial up and running. These hold-ups cost pharmaceutical companies and healthcare institutions alike considerable time and resources.

Changing the game

We’ve been helping AstraZeneca improve on this important interface with hospitals, clinical research organisations and investigators. Together, we developed a business application called Falcon, which is an intelligent data-driven, end-to-end digital contracting solution that’s designed to streamline workflows, reduce process variability and eliminate inefficiencies in the clinical trial contracting process. It enables clinical contracts to be drafted, negotiated and signed within a single day – a game-changer for the industry.

Developing the application required collaboration across our Consulting business, with the team comprising Strategy & Operations, Digital, Testing and nearshore development resources, alongside contractors and third-party solution vendors, to deliver a global solution for the client using new technology in record time.

Less admin, more science

The Falcon solution has gone a long way towards supporting AstraZeneca in realising its vision. Falcon has helped AstraZeneca streamline the contracting step for its clinical trials, giving it better predictability in setting up trials, and helping to control trial costs and timelines. It has also removed the contracting burden for healthcare institutions, making it simpler and reducing unnecessary resource and effort so employees and doctors can focus on scientific content, rather than admin.

Falcon lays the foundation of an industry-leading clinical ecosystem for AstraZeneca. It shows the possibility of truly digital clinical trial set-up, execution and reimbursement – further accelerating bringing new medicines to patients.