Answers to questions
Sponsors
ask us most often
Gain a better understanding of how we help
with pivotal studies
Here are answers to questions we frequently receive. If you have additional questions, email us via the Contact Form, or call (919) 293-0243.
1. Are your services similar to a CRO (Clinical Research Organization)?
No, our services are very specialized, and only support study recruitment and related activities. We work alongside CROs and other organizations — such as electronic data capture system providers and diagnostic laboratories — to provide optimal support to Sponsors.
2. Are your services expensive?
With the high cost of running pivotal studies, and our record of cutting study timelines by six months or more, our clients typically find our support provides a net savings overall.
As one study Sponsor put it, “There’s nothing more expensive than a slow enrolling study.”
3. How long does it take Visionaire to get support materials developed and ready for a new study?
If you accept our proposal(s) and elect to move forward, it generally requires a minimum of 90 days to develop your study recruitment materials and have them approved and ready to go. That includes the time the materials are reviewed by the Sponsor’s R&D Team, as well as Regulatory and Legal departments, so of course Sponsors’ timelines affect the overall approval timelines.
4. Why don’t you show more samples of your work on your website?
Most of our clients prefer to keep their study sponsorships confidential. Part of that is due to FDA’s requirement that studies not be promotional, so the Sponsors don’t want to be seen as promoting their companies. We respect those wishes, especially when studies are active, and work to keep Sponsor’s study recruitment materials out of the limelight, except where the materials are specifically being used.
5. Does your company help identify or recruit veterinary investigators?
From time to time, we conduct campaigns in the industry to raise awareness of the need and the benefits of participating in veterinary pivotal studies, and we maintain a database of veterinarians who have indicated an interest.
While we never share information on study investigators from one Sponsor to another, we often receive inquiries from veterinarians who have seen our study recruitment materials and contact us requesting to sign up as investigators on studies we’re supporting. We then forward their information to the specific study Sponsor.
Based on our experience, we make recommendations to Sponsors on selection of investigator sites, including geographies, specialties, and more.
6. Have you done work on studies outside the U.S.?
Yes. While the majority of our work is in the U.S., we’ve supported recruitment for studies in Canada, Spain, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
7. If there’s a slow-enrolling investigator site, can you offer support just to that site, rather than all the sites?
Initially, our support must be for all sites, as there are foundational materials that are required. If, however, later in the study one or more sites needs additional cases, we can provide individualized support. Our first step is to reach out to the investigator site and gain their insights so that we can be certain we’re helping in ways that will be most successful for their practice. Oftentimes sites that receive our individualized support rise to the top or near-top of the high-enrolling sites.
8. If our recruitment falls behind schedule and we need help quickly, can you step in?
Yes, but while we may be able to expedite your search for candidates, we recommend that you engage us even before your study starts, because we can also provide recommendations on other factors that influence recruitment success, such as investigator selection, study locations, and the structure of financial incentives.
9. If we’re interested in your services, what are the next steps?
Reach out to us by phone or via the Contact Form here on the website. The first step is getting a Mutual CDA in place. If you wish, we can do a capabilities presentation. We will need your study protocol prior to providing a proposal, and we set up meetings with Sponsors about their studies to ensure we have a complete understanding of study specifics.