In this insightful discussion, we interview Kenny Kong, Vice President of Strategy for Veeva Site Connect. He delves into the complexities of sponsor-site collaboration in clinical trials and explores how Veeva is addressing these challenges through innovative solutions.
Moe Alsumidaie: What are the main challenges in sponsor-site collaboration, and how is Veeva addressing them?
Kenny Kong: Sponsor-site collaboration has become increasingly complex due to industry’s growing reliance on technology. Over the past 10 to 20 years, we’ve seen a surge in innovation but its led to a fragmented technology ecosystem where sponsors and sites use different tools to manage heavily regulated processes. This has inadvertently created a divide, as these technologies often don’t communicate
effectively. At Veeva, we’re addressing this by standardizing the clinical trial process and bringing sponsors and sites onto a common data framework and operating system. This approach enhances collaboration, speeds up data processing, and improves data quality, leading to faster trials. For example, by delivering clinical applications on a unified platform, we aim to eliminate the variability and inefficiencies that arise from disparate systems, allowing for more seamless and effective collaboration.
Moe Alsumidaie: How does Veeva facilitate interoperability between sponsors and sites, and why is it crucial?
Kenny Kong: Clinical trials increasingly depend on data captured in various forms, formats, and geographies across different systems. The lack of continuity and standardization in data capture poses significant challenges. At Veeva, we strive to enable a common data model between sponsors and sites built around regulatory requirements and the data needed to validate studies. We enhance speed and data quality by standardizing the investigator experience and delivering a connected system for sponsors, both operating on a common platform. This interoperability is crucial as it allows for seamless data exchange and collaboration, reducing errors and accelerating the trial process. By ensuring that all parties are working from the same data model, we can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.
Moe Alsumidaie: What factors does Veeva consider to enhance the site experience, and how do these benefit both parties?
Kenny Kong: We’ve taken a capabilities-based approach, focusing on eliminating high-volume, low-value transactions to give time back to investigators. For instance, by reducing the number of clicks required to complete tasks and consolidating multiple capabilities into a single user interface, we simplify the user experience. This allows sites to focus more on patient care rather than administrative tasks. Another example is Veeva Site Connect, which has significantly decreased cycle and study startup times by standardizing document exchanges between sponsors and sites. This approach sponsors to scale, unlock higher-performing sites, and expedite approvals. Our unified platform across clinical operations for sponsors also reduces variability and enables consistent operations globally. This harmonization helps get therapies to patients faster by improving efficiency on both sides.
Moe Alsumidaie: What is your vision for future sponsor-site collaboration, and how is Veeva supporting it?
Kenny Kong: We’re focused on reducing the technology burden by emphasizing capabilities over technology itself. Our strategy involves having sponsors leverage Veeva technology while allowing sites to work within their processes, delivering lower costs and consistency. We’re enhancing financial oversight, centralizing site-facing applications, and automating document flows to reduce clicks and improve efficiency. For instance, by providing sites with greater visibility into their payment status, we help them manage their finances more effectively. We aim to create a more efficient and effective collaboration process that benefits all parties involved by continuing to innovate and improve our solutions.
Moe Alsumidaie: Is there anything else you want to add about the industry’s future?
Kenny Kong: We’re due for an eClinical renaissance as an industry. We’ve seen significant innovation over the past decades, but technology has started working against us. It’s time to make technology work for us again, simplifying sponsor-site collaboration. Site Connect is just the beginning, and our foundation will bring sponsors and sites closer together, advancing clinical trials. By standardizing processes and improving interoperability, we can reduce costs, improve efficiency, and deliver therapies to patients faster. I’m excited about the future and the potential for advanced technology to transform the clinical trial process, making it more efficient and effective for everyone involved.
This content is sponsored by Veeva
Moe Alsumidaie is Chief Editor of The Clinical Trial Vanguard. Moe holds decades of experience in the clinical trials industry. Moe also serves as Head of Research at CliniBiz and Chief Data Scientist at Annex Clinical Corporation.
