Speed R&D with collaborative communication tools

Highlights

• In today’s increasingly dynamic healthcare landscape, the pharmaceutical sector is facing significant pressure to become more efficient, agile, and proactive. 
• Enhancing collaboration throughout the drug development ecosystem can help pharma companies save costs, reduce time to market, and achieve more impactful breakthroughs.
• A cloud-based communications platform is an ideal option for medical research organizations to break down collaboration barriers and build cohesive partnerships.

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Drug development has advanced at breath-taking speed in recent years. Thanks to increasing investments and steadfast innovation, the pharmaceutical sector has embraced multiple opportunities to address some of the most intractable ailments.

However, despite the progress, healthcare R&D still faces significant challenges. Developing new drugs is a lengthy and grossly expensive endeavor, often exceeding ten years and $2 billion. Moreover, most clinical trials end up failing, as only about 12% of industry-sponsored drugs beginning Phase 1 trials are eventually approved by regulatory bodies like the FDA.

To remain successful, the pharma industry must continuously search for new ways to deliver better outcomes, save costs, and reduce time to market.

If you are in drug development, you can significantly improve the success rate of your trials by enhancing collaboration within and beyond your organization. With the right healthcare communications platform, you can break down the barriers that impede timely, efficient, and effective collaboration.

The pressing need for collaboration in pharmaceutical R&D

The drug development process involves a long string of stakeholders. The pharma company, contract research organizations, academic centers, marketing firms, community workers, technology companies, and the participants themselves must all collaborate effectively for a trial to succeed.

Below are four compelling reasons for effective collaboration in medical research:

1. Breakthroughs

Frequent impactful breakthroughs due to scientific cross-pollination, where two or more disciplines readily exchange ideas to solve a problem.

2. Speedy and cost-effective development

Speedy and cost-effective development as a result of resource and expertise sharing. Trial designers do not have to develop skills, systems, and discoveries from scratch if they exist within their network.

3. Faster insights

Faster conversion of data into insights, particularly when dealing with complex data sets involving multiple variables that do not conform to linear approaches or traditional research methodologies.

4. Diverse participants

Access to a diverse pool of participants from different geographies and market conditions, which improves the trial’s representativeness, ensuring robust conclusions.

How a cloud-based communications platform improves R&D processes

Mainstream file-sharing platforms have remarkably simplified communication. By enabling instantaneous file sharing, these solutions allow teams to exchange information in a way that previously required complex data management systems.

However, some industries have collaboration needs that outweigh what the typical file-sharing tool can offer. In biopharma R&D, for example, effective collaboration entails not only sharing notes and drafts but also live data sets from clinical trials.

A sharper focus on collaboration is especially critical due to the growth of virtual teams. Although remote working has accelerated innovation and expanded the R&D scope, communicating and collaborating outside physical limits is a challenge for researchers.

Cloud-based communications address the need for seamless, secure, and continuously updated collaboration by providing a comprehensive platform on which researchers can share and receive information using many different channels.

How a healthcare communications platform enhances R&D collaboration

A healthcare communications platform can enhance R&D collaboration in the following ways:

1. Live data sharing

Live data streaming technologies allow real-time collaboration on straight and curved data sets, even when the statistical models are complicated or sensitive. Access to these datasets ensures teams have the latest information at their fingertips and can act on it before it becomes obsolete.

2. Virtual communication

Cloud-based communications platforms provide a host of virtual interaction options that dramatically shorten the distance between partners. Video conferencing, for instance, enables pharma companies with trial professionals in different cities to keep everyone on the same page and avoid costly mistakes.

3. Collaboration tools

A cloud-based communications platform provides a complete set of collaboration tools that build on the benefits of file sharing and virtual conferencing. These solutions can include online documents, blogs, wikis, forums, surveys, polls, multimedia uploads, and presentations.

The use of a single platform means researchers can simultaneously share and discuss information without switching between different software options. Furthermore, all content is automatically archived, eliminating the possibility of losing data.

4. Secure and compliant interaction

Cloud-based collaborative communications are undergirded by a solid security model that protects data in transit and at rest. Many platforms automatically encrypt files and charts to prevent loss or tampering. The ideal communication platform also allows you to configure different access levels depending on the roles within and outside your team, all without compromising compliance with data privacy regulations.

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Accelerate R&D with a RingCentral healthcare communications platform

The global healthcare industry relies on R&D for innovation. However, effective medical research and drug development cannot occur without seamless collaboration. By bringing in a cloud-based communications solution, R&D teams can streamline operations and interact in ways that maximize their productivity.

RingCentral is a leading provider of cloud-based unified communications solutions for enterprises, including healthcare providers. A tailored RingCentral platform offers all the tools and capabilities required for seamless real-time communication across the entire value chain.

Contact us today and learn more about accelerating R&D with RingCentral’s cloud-based communications options.