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Special Article Reprint
January 23, 2012
A CenterWatch Publication
Insider Insights:
Synteract
CWWeekly’s semi-monthly company profile
feature, Insider Insights, interviews executives
of companies and organizations in the clinical
trials space. Writer Ronald Rosenberg sat down
with Wendel Barr, chief executive officer of
Synteract.
Q
Given your extensive experience at
Covance with large pharmaceutical
companies before joining Synteract as CEO
last summer, what stands out about this
company, which works with biotechnology
companies lacking deep financial pockets
yet wanting the kinds of services and expertise Covance provides?
A
What struck me most about Synteract
was the company’s sustained level of
performance around 2008 to 2010, at a time
when many clinical companies and CROs
were reporting results that were shrinking
or had margin dilutions. However, Synteract showed strong performance and that
attracted me to the company. When I asked
why Synteract was so successful, there were
some key factors.
First, this company has a very deep
culture around client service. It is rooted
in the company’s ability to identify with its
client base, which is predominantly small to
mid-sized biotech and pharma, and to offer
services and expertise geared to this unique
segment. These small pharma or biotech
companies have very specific needs, given
their focus is most often built around a few
molecules, with a smaller number of drugs
under development. This is often different
from larger pharma that have a number of
different choices and a larger pipeline of
products to consider.
Another thing that I liked about Synteract is its ability to differentiate itself, to be
flexible, responsive and very collaborative
with its clients. When we talk to clients and
mention that 90% of our business is referrals
and repeat business, this clearly demonstrates Synteract has been successful in its
tailored approach.
So this company’s ability to navigate
through those tough waters from 2008 to
2010 was really geared around customers
and the reputation it built providing superior, very directed services to their needs.
Q
How do you see pharmacogenetics affecting cancer patient recruitment for
clinical trials at small to mid-sized CROs who
will need to find more studies and spend
more on their marketing efforts to reach
more clients to gain the same revenues from
traditionally larger trials?
A
Synteract has always embraced innovation. One of the ways we distinguish
ourselves is having the vision to understand
how discoveries in medicine are integral
to intelligent clinical design. In clinical trials in a wide variety of therapeutic areas,
Synteract
Headquarters: Carlsbad, Calif.
Year founded: 1995
Description: A full-service CRO serving biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical companies. Working closely with drug and device
sponsors, it offers clinical expertise in multiple
therapeutic areas, including a strong emphasis
in oncology, central nervous system (CNS),
cardiovascular, respiratory and ophthalmology.
It has partnered with international firms to
provide patient cost and time-to-enrollment
advantages in parts of Eastern and Western
Europe, Australia, India and Brazil.
Executive team: Wendel Barr, CEO
Stewart Bieler, COO
Marilyn R. Carlson, D.M.D., M.D., RAC, Vice President, Medical and Regulatory Affairs
Ali Sadighian, Vice President, Business Development
Offices: Carlsbad, Calif.; Morrisville, N.C.; Prague,
Czech Republic
Employees: 375
Clinical trials: more than 1,000 trials since its
formation
Customers: more than 225 customers
Web site: www.synteract.com
Synteract has experience in identifying and
enrolling so-called “responders.” In oncology, we’ve been very successful using both
pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics to support our clinical work. How that
population can be affected in a more positive way is what we strive to do every day.
Q
Synteract has largely grown organically while most medium-sized CROs
have grown largely through mergers and
acquisitions, with greater overseas expansion. Some big CROs forged significant
partnerships with big pharma. Are any of
those growth strategies on the horizon for
Synteract?
A
Coming from Covance, I have a lot of direct experience in forging partnerships
with big pharma, but it’s really an apples-tooranges comparison. We forge partnerships
CWWeekly (ISSN 1528-5731). Volume 16, Issue 03. Copyright © 2012 by CenterWatch. All rights reserved.
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CWWeekly January 23, 2012
2 of 2
Insider Insights
with our clients as well, within a framework
suited to the size and scale of their needs
and, regardless of size, they are significant to
us. To describe the way we work, we use the
phrase “shared work—shared vision.” It really
is about collaborating with our clients and
working in a more strategic way with them. From
protocol development all
the way through delivery,
we feel a very strong
partnership. These have
been successful, longterm relationships, as
proven by the 90% repeat
work we do with our
clients today.
There is an opportunity for this company
to expand its scope internationally, which
is an opportunity we will be looking at. We
also think we have a great opportunity to
take the longstanding capabilities and the
market knowledge we have here in the West
Coast biotech sector and build new business
in the Boston, mid-Atlantic and southeast
biotech markets.
We will consider acquisitions that will
add value to the service offerings to our clients, while we continue to drive the organic
growth that is foundational to Synteract.
We have a good story, our referral business
is very strong and client satisfaction is very
high. We think there is an opportunity to
continue to expand our presence in new regions and get in front of new clients for the
chance to really prove our capabilities. I like
our chances when we get that opportunity.
Q
While some CRO leaders acknowledge
that the clinical trials industry is flourishing overseas, with emerging markets just
getting underway, what do you tell aspiring
CRAs in the U.S. who might consider a different career path?
to use tools that increase efficiency. Bring
those things and a CRA will have a great
opportunity to do well, even though this is
an industry going through transformational
change right now. We are seeing a lot more
innovation now than five or 10 years ago,
and the new breed of successful
clinical development profes“We are seeing a lot more innovation now sional will help to deliver further
than five or 10 years ago, and the new
innovation and productivity.
breed of successful clinical development
professional will help to deliver further
innovation and productivity.”
Q
With cost estimates of $25
million to $250 million
projected for sponsors to deWendel Barr, chief executive officer, Synteract
velop follow-on biologics, better
known as biosimilars, is this a
growth area you would like to
While work in emerging markets is
enter, pending further FDA guidance?
increasing, I don’t think the migration
of work into the international market is
The customers doing that work are
going to take 50% of the work out of U.S. or
not in our primary target segment.
Western Europe. I do think some of the work
The companies that I know working in the
will go to Eastern Europe and Asia because
biosimilars area have big manufacturing cathat is where the patient populations are.
pability and are the bigger pharmaceutical
Considering the challenges of drug
companies. Our target segment is very spedevelopment, whether you are a drug
cific around small to medium-sized compacompany, large or small, a CRO or a CRA,
nies. That is where we make a big difference
the industry is challenged to make the drug
and it’s our focus. We haven’t seen any need
development process more efficient and
for services in the biosimilars area up to this
meet the need for greater productivity while point, but it may change down the road.
reducing costs.
If clients came to us and said they were
So I would tell CRAs not to be discourinterested in entering the biosimilars
aged—there are still plenty of opportunimarket, we have the expertise and knowlties. But the way they have to approach the
edge within our organization to provide
market is different today. Think about this as
the guidance they need to help navigate
a market in which increasing value is placed
the biosimilars landscape from a regulatory
on the need to develop skills and the ability
standpoint. A
CWWeekly (ISSN 1528-5731). Volume 16, Issue 03. Copyright © 2012 by CenterWatch. All rights reserved.
A
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