As biotech layoffs and regulatory changes affecting drug development and pricing continue to feature in the daily news, pharmaceutical sector experts are driving solutions to adapt in the changing life sciences ecosystem.
Against this backdrop the Outsourcing In Clinical Trials New England Conference, held from 23–24 October in Boston, US, will gather experts to discuss the state of the biopharmaceutical and clinical trials industry.
Similar to 2023, several pharmaceutical companies have downsized their workforces in 2024. Staff members at Novartis, Cidara Therapeutics, and Oncternal Therapeutics make up some of the many employees displaced due to the widespread job cuts. The conference’s opening panel, on 23 October, will feature experts discussing the pharmaceutical industry’s rising layoff count, ways to handle the changing economic landscape, and new measures from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amongst other things.
The two-day conference will include three parallel streams on clinical outsourcing and operations, clinical technology and innovation, and patient recruitment and engagement, and rare diseases.
Limited resourcing, depleted cash reserves, and trial failures have impacted biotech companies’ plans to run clinical trials, and a panel on the first day will explore the factors driving investments in clinical trials, including scenarios with angel investors and venture capitalists.
Continuing on day 1, several events will heavily touch on the evolving use of artificial intelligence (AI) in clinical development. Insights on patient attitudes to AI, generative AI use and other aspects of AI in clinical development will be shared by experts such as Maria Florez, a senior consultant at the Tufts Center for the study of drug development, and Ankita Deshpande, Global Marketing and Commercial Lead, Rare Diseases, Moderna.
In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has explored the use of different AI technologies for aspects of drug development such as patient recruitment, trial site identification and drug discovery. In a previous interview with Pharmaceutical Technology, Kimberley Powell, the vice president of healthcare at the AI giant NVIDIA, said that the growing use of AI in the pharmaceutical sector would cause a “titanic shift” in the drug development pipeline.
On the second day of the conference, speakers will cover topics such as rare diseases, supply chain issues and novel drug delivery approaches.
Several talks will feature experts from biotechs and CROs discussing strategies to build strong relationships between partners and clinical trial sites, and ways to design trial budgets and contracts. As the last quarter of the year nears, a keynote panel will also explore predictions for the clinical trials industry in 2025.
Additionally, Charity Roddy, director, Patient and Site Experience, Oncology and Rare Disease at Moderna, will present a case study delving into ways to improve the patient experience in a study.
The conference is hosted by Arena International Events Group, a B2B events company owned by GlobalData, the parent company of Clinical Trials Arena and Pharmaceutical Technology.
A detailed agenda for the OCT New England conference can be found here.
Note: The sixth and tenth paragraphs have been updated to reflect the correct speakers and moderators at the given sessions.
