The regulatory timelines can be a challenge, even though some respective governments are taking proactive measures to improve the regulatory landscape. For a CRO that knows what the challenges will be and how to minimize the hurdles, there are still huge benefits to be had in terms of patient availability. Patient recruitment is still the number one cause of clinical development delays. However, this is not unique to this region and judicious appointment of well-trained investigators can minimize or eliminate these potential delays.

What have been ICON’s major developments in the APAC?

Currently, we have over 1,400 staff based in 13 countries across the region and we continue to evaluate our footprint in different parts of Asia Pacific driven by client requirements.

ICON recently extended this footprint with the acquisition of BeijingWits in China which adds significantly to the company’s leadership, scale and service offering in Asia Pacific.

ICON has developed close relationships with a broad network of patient recruitment vendors which also allows it to define the optimal strategy for all studies and together with online GCP and protocol training through Firecrest, ensures that all investigators and site staff are fully trained and confident to meet rigorous recruitment targets. ICON has also improved its performance in terms of quality of data, timelines and transparency through ICONIK to help drive maximum efficiency and ensure studies are on track and proactively managed to reduce risk.