Altasciences
Eliminating Operational Silos to Accelerate and Streamline Early-Phase Drug Development

Altasciences is a leading early-phase drug development solution company— functioning as a fully integrated CRO and CDMO that has revolutionized the outsourcing paradigm. While some CROs offer capabilities for various stages of drug development, none match the vertical and horizontal integration found at Altasciences.

Altasciences’ approach simplifies and safely expedites the journey for sponsors, helping them reach critical decision-making milestones sooner. It offers a convenient, comprehensive, wellcoordinated, and seamless pathway for all earlyphase drug development needs, with multiple entry points for clients—depending on their stage of progress—while removing the need to contract numerous providers.
“Our solutions are designed for complete integration, fostering close collaboration among our teams. Effective communication, collaborative teamwork, proprietary platforms, along with meticulously coordinated plans and processes not only mitigate risks but also have the potential to reduce sponsors’ time by up to 40 percent in their early-phase drug development programs,” says Chris Perkin, CEO of Altasciences.

Altasciences is not limited by a linear, task-based approach to drug development. It has the bandwidth to handle all early-phase research activities, ensuring a smoother and faster transition into the next stages of drug development, without compromising safety. By collaborating with Altasciences, clients experience streamlined processes with a single service provider, minimizing paperwork (such as contracts and invoicing), handoffs, risks, and the necessity to reiterate their study requirements, at each stage of development.

The team at Altasciences believes that lack of efficient communication is one of the leading causes of delays in drug development. One of the ways they address this pain point is by assigning a dedicated, cross-functional program manager to the sponsor for timely communication and proactive planning. The program manager utilizes a centralized scheduling system to manage timelines effectively.

A proprietary information-sharing system, Ask Albert, ensures that all internal key stakeholders, regardless of department or location, have visibility into studies, programs, and client preferences, giving them the ability to adjust their work plans and provide effective communication as the project advances. With this, the company developed Tell Us Once^™—their commitment to communication. As a molecule advances, so does the client’s information. This has proven to be crucial for swift, seamless, and accurate communication, data, and methodology transfers.

“Tell Us Once^™ eliminates the need for clients to repeat themselves at each stage of development; sponsors only need to tell their study history, requirements, and preferences once, and we’ll take care of the rest,” says Perkin.

Altasciences gives equal importance to every client, irrespective of the size and budget of their project. More importantly, its nine sites can support drug development, from lead candidate selection to clinical proof of concept, with bioanalysis up to Phase IV and contract manufacturing to commercialization.

In one instance, a West Coast-based biopharma company had to wait for their two CROs to sequentially complete their parts of the research before submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application. Altasciences, upon being approached by the client, was able to set them on a faster path via the Health Canada review route. By going the way of a Canadian regulatory pathway and using Altasciences’ parallel processing approach, the company reduced the client’s timeline by 10 weeks. They were able to proceed with both the preclinical and clinical phases.

Altasciences’ services hinge on a distinctive organizational structure that eradicates operational silos, with all teams directed by two co-chief operating officers. One covers the preclinical solution, while the other is responsible for clinical, bioanalytical, manufacturing, and research support solutions. The COOs and their teams move in unison, ensuring a seamless and collaborative process.

“The synergies created between phases of development and between the scientific teams, as well as the clients, translates into a seamless results-driven exchange, closer client relationships, and reduced drug development timelines,” says Perkin.

The team’s dexterity and focus on leading clients toward success have turned Altasciences into an award-winning company. It has been acknowledged by the CRO Leadership Awards since 2014, and in recent times, it has been recognized as a CRO Leadership Award Champion under the Capabilities category.