Meet N-SIDE’s Team of Experts on Oncology Clinical Trials

Interview by N-SIDE’s Growth Marketing Coordinator, Donokhon Abulkasimova 

Did you know that N-SIDE has a special team of experts, who power innovation in Oncology Clinical Trials? The main goal of the team is to overcome emerging challenges in oncology clinical trails (in terms of cost, waste and time) through smart planning and forecasting solutions.

Let us talk with the team and know more about how it feels like working in complex oncology clinical trials

Cancer is one of the most dangerous and life threatening diseases in the world. According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is the second leading cause of death (after heart diseases) worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths (source). These statistics urge N-SIDErs to deliver end-to-end clinical supply chain optimization to enable Pharma companies to bring innovative drugs to patients sooner.

What motivates you most about the projects/ services you bring to Pharma partners?

Sasha: First of all, we all know someone (family, friends, neighbours,…) who is suffering/ has suffered from cancer. We also know that treatment is difficult, and can be very costly. So, what motivates me is the impact we are bringing to support R&D in oncology trials and help deliver drugs to patients faster and more reliably. It gives me a sense of satisfaction that I have this goal for the well-being of my family, friends and community.

Sarah: We are supporting our partners to tackle diseases that were previously thought incurable. With our clinical trial optimization tools, we help to effectively plan and forecast oncology trials to avoid missteps in trial designs and to identify proper pathways. This meaningful and impactful work we are doing inspires me everyday!

Brandon: What motivates me, is the fact that we work on so many different oncology trials, and not just focusing on particular part of a trial. We have impact on a broad range of different projects through different Pharma partners. This gives us visibility on the state of the art, and opportunities to learn, discuss, innovate, and eventually bring this knowledge together for more innovative trials.

How do you collaborate with other N-SIDE teams to make oncology and other complex clinical trials even more efficient?

Brandon: N-SIDE services are quite comprehensive and we provide a great package of services to our Pharma partners to achieve their goal in the most optimized way. For example, our coaching team works closely with our customers to support a successful N-SIDE software adoption in order to ensure customer engagement and satisfaction. We also work with Customer Success Managers to ensure our partners achieve and grow value from our relationship.

Sasha: We want to be on top to capture all the complexities in new oncology trials, so we collaborate with our colleagues in the Life Sciences Product Department to make sure that the next developments are in line with the status of our clinical trials.

Sarah: I would like to highlight our trainings, especially ones on Monitoring Dashboard and Results Dashboards, which are very helpful for Clinical Trials Managers to monitor trial progress correctly and be able to get the most out of the N-SIDE software features.

What recent accomplishments can the N-SIDE Oncology Trials Team/Experts be proud of?

Sasha:We are continuously developing new tools and our processes in order to provide the best professional services to Pharma companies. We are also building a pool of experts to meet demands of our Pharma partners.

Brandon: It is pleasing to note that our Pharma partners are recognizing the value we bring. We are now being involved in earlier stages (i.e. protocol design, country selection, release planning) of clinical trials. For example, we are aiding trial design before protocol finalization to increase our impact earlier and develop more efficient processes within Pharma companies. As a result, more and more often we are seeing supply friendly protocols, developed on the basis of our past recommendations.

One good practice we find applicable to many oncology trials is increasing the frequency of patient visits, together with direct to patient shipments for expensive medications with short shelf-life. As Pharma companies have been putting our recommendations into practice we see a lot of impact in terms of cost savings.

Sarah: As oncology trials are the most complex, because of the sensitivity of patients, uncertainty in the timeline, expensive resources and different approval regulations by governments…, we have very close relationship with our Pharma partners. It is also rewarding to know that we have a real impact.

Brandon: It is also important to note that, our forecasts are reliable. One good example is that the amount of savings that we have forecasted in the beginning of one particular oncology trial has been realized over 4 years, which means our recommendations are fairly stable over long periods of time.

This time of the year many campaigns run to raise awareness about breast cancer and testicular cancer. Do you also have any projects related to the Pinktober (breast cancer awareness) and Movember (prostate and testicular cancers awareness)?

N-SIDE Moustache Contest - 2021

Sarah: At N-SIDE we have eight different committees to rally N-SIDErs among a common interest, in order to promote and take part in impactful initiatives! (More info in our Culture Book) One of them is the Social Committee, whithin which each year N-SIDErs organize various Pinktober and Movember campaigns to raise awareness of breast, prostate and testicular cancer. For example, the goal of the Movember campaign is to open a “Moustache contest” in which several N-SIDErs participate.

During the voting period, all N-SIDErs are invited to select their preferred contestant and make a donation to the Movember organization.

These are few examples of how we care about people and are trying to contribute to the health of community by all means (both internally and externally), not only by providing smart clinical trial solutions.

Sasha: This year’s Pink month campaign includes quizzes with facts to raise awareness, and all N-SIDErs will be wearing pink ribbons to honor survivors and those who have lost their loved ones to breast cancer. These internal activities also remind us what an important job we are doing!

Brandon: In addition to raising awareness and donations, we also currently are partners in several ongoing clinical trials for breast cancer, with new partnerships on the way. The great thing is that when we optimize clinical trials and reduce cost and waste, our Pharma partners will be able to launch new trials utilizing the same resources, which means more people can get treated at the same time.

Which N-SIDE value do you feel connected most within your work?

Sasha: For me, it is Collaboration, because at N-SIDE, collaboration and knowledge sharing are very important. Also, in this state of global challenges (Covid-19, Ukrainian war and energy crisis) we need to collaborate and unite in the professional world more than ever before.

Sarah: The answer to this question is linked to the first question - what impact we are bringing to our pharma partners. So, for me it is Commitment, as we are quite focused on the goals that we have and the impact we want to bring in oncology trials, always keeping the patient in mind.

Brandon: I would say Innovation. As we mentioned earlier we work closely with the Life Sciences Product Department especially taking into account special cases and complexities around oncology trials, so that we can model what is happening in reality as close as possible. As a result, we can have the best of both worlds: low waste and safe supply chain strategies for patients.

Furthermore, using cloud-based, cutting-edge technologies, our solutions optimize the entire clinical trial supply chain management process from production planning through to protocol design and delivery of supplies to patients.

What would be your final remarks for our readers?

Sarah: I think we are a true partner of Pharma companies for successful oncology trials. Our N-SIDE software has smart features to enable simulations based on various dispensing, dose levels and more, which gives us a real competitive advantage and reassures our customers.

Brandon: I completely agree and would like to admit that, we are market leaders in terms of software, and also in terms of expertise thanks to the people dedicated to oncology trails, and who have experience on working with different indications, protocols and complexities.

Sasha: N-SIDE is continuously increasing its expertise in oncology clinical trials with more new trials coming, and we have a great team of dedicated experts to help our Pharma partners to optimize their oncology trials and decide better!

This interview is one great example of the value that N-SIDE is bringing in oncology clinical trials.

We thank the team members for taking time from their busy schedule to share valuable insights on supporting complex oncology trials. We believe that the smart software in the hands of real experts, who work with commitment, innovation and collaboration spirit, creates great impact in clinical trials.