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.
At the 2024 DPHARM Conference, we had the chance to interview Peyton Howell, CEO of Parexel, and she shared industry trends, challenges, and future strategies.
Moe Alsumidaie: Can you share your transition to CEO at Parexel and your priorities for the coming year?
Peyton Howell: I’m about 100 days into my role as the new CEO of Parexel. During this time, I’ve focused on connecting closely with our customers and employees around the world. We have over 21,000 employees globally, so there’s been a lot of listening and learning. My goal is to identify what we’re doing well and where we can improve. It’s been a fast-paced 100 days, including two board meetings, but I’m very excited about the opportunities ahead.
Engaging with both customers and employees has been crucial. By understanding their perspectives, we can build on our strengths and address any challenges. The fast pace of my first 100 days, including two board meetings, highlights my commitment to making impactful changes quickly. I’m looking forward to leveraging these insights to drive Parexel forward.
Peyton Howell, CEO of Parexel
Moe Alsumidaie: What major trends are you observing in clinical trials for 2024, and how will the industry progress?
Peyton Howell: It’s an exciting time for clinical research with a lot of changes happening. The first major trend is AI and machine learning, particularly in applications that improve quality and efficiency. We’re fully invested in these technologies across our business. The second trend is patient-focused trial design. At DPHARM, this has been a big topic, emphasizing the need to make clinical trials more efficient and patient-friendly. The third trend is the next generation of decentralized clinical trials, including community-based sites. This approach helps address the challenges faced by overburdened sites and brings us closer to patients.
These trends are shaping the future of clinical trials. AI and machine learning are enhancing quality and efficiency, while patient-focused trial design ensures that protocols are more patient-friendly. Decentralized clinical trials, particularly community-based sites, are crucial for addressing site burdens and improving patient access. By focusing on these areas, we can drive significant improvements in clinical research.
Moe Alsumidaie: Could you share some major takeaways from your keynote session at the conference?
Peyton Howell: The highlight of our patient keynote session was having a patient advocate from our industry who emphasized the importance of awareness about clinical trials before a diagnosis. She called on the audience to share her story and raise awareness. Additionally, she is working with the FDA to influence clinical trial design, ensuring the patient voice is heard. This session was a great reminder of the need to center our efforts around the patient.
Starting the conference with this session was powerful. It emphasized the importance of patient advocacy and the need for awareness about clinical trials. The advocate’s involvement with the FDA to influence trial design highlights the significance of incorporating the patient voice. This session served as a strong reminder to keep patients at the center of our clinical research efforts.
Moe Alsumidaie: How should biopharmaceutical sponsors adapt their strategies in this resource-constrained environment?
Peyton Howell: There are indeed many pressures, and we’re all being asked to do more with less. One approach is to streamline clinical trial complexity by reducing the number of procedures and visits, which can lower costs and reduce the burden on patients. Another strategy is to bring more countries into clinical research. For example, while we’re seeing growth in India, it’s still underrepresented, especially since India offers diverse patient populations and robust clinical research infrastructure. The region’s lower procedural costs and scalable infrastructure can help reduce overall clinical trial costs and increase capacity. Ensuring that clinical research is truly global is essential for addressing economic and financial challenges and will help biopharmaceutical sponsors adapt to the current financial environment.
Moe Alsumidaie: How is Parexel leveraging its strategies to adjust to the changing market forces?
Peyton Howell: We’re actively exploring opportunities in other countries and leveraging our regulatory consulting team to assess these opportunities. We’re also using different geographic hubs to support work and reduce costs. Our sponsors are challenging us to be more efficient, and we’re looking at ways to offset costs in high-cost countries like the United States. Additionally, we’re focusing on ensuring that studies are successful and impactful for patients and sites, as struggling studies are costly for everyone involved.
Moe Alsumidaie: Is there anything else you’d like to add that we might have missed in this interview?
Peyton Howell: Another big initiative we’re working on is talent development. We’re focused on growing our own talent and identifying new sources of talent globally. This is critical for the next generation of clinical research professionals. Additionally, everything we do is grounded in the patient, and we will continue to push the envelope on patient-centric clinical research. These initiatives are crucial for our success and the future of clinical research.
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.
