“Success is about understanding the nuances of our industry and being customer-centric”

John Potthoff, PhD, is President of Clinical Development, North America, at INC Research. Dr Potthoff is responsible for providing the overall strategic vision and direction to INC Research’s North American Clinical Development units, including INC CNS, INC Oncology, INC Pediatrics, Clinical Operations and Medical Affairs. Prior to joining INC Research, Dr Potthoff was President and CEO of Tanistry, Inc., a niche CRO focused on drug development in Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders, which was acquired by INC Research in February 2001. Prior to founding Tanistry, Dr Potthoff held a variety of positions within global contract research organizations, most recently as Executive Director of Clinical Operations.

NGP. First of all, perhaps you could give us a brief outline of INC Research and its areas of focus?

JP. INC Research is a leading contract research organization with specialized therapeutic focus. For over two decades, we’ve been dedicated to managing all aspects of global clinical development programs for pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers and tailoring our full range of services, processes and technology to the unique needs of each client and their specific project requirements. Through our INC DataSpectrum division, INC Research provides a full range of data management, statistical analysis and medical writing services to support global drug development requirements for any therapeutic area. We have offices in North America and Western, Eastern and Central Europe.

NGP. Why is contract research such a hot area right now? How do you see the sector developing over the next few years?

JP. Currently, the product pipeline is quite robust. Spending by drug sponsors on clinical research services has grown 15 percent annually since 2001. Pharma and biotech is relying more on CROs than ever, as headcount in sponsor companies remains flat. Demand for capacity, speed and cost containment will continue to drive strong growth in the CRO sector. To manage this growth, there will be demand for improved processes that will lead to greater efficiencies in the drug development process.

NGP. Can you give us any examples of projects you’ve been involved in that have proved particularly fruitful?

JP. At INC Research we define success by how well we meet customer’s expectations. We enjoy working with customers who partner with us beyond the scope of a project. The collaborative relationship we develop means we develop a broad, stable team of people who work together on solutions and effectively executing those strategies in a way that is mutually beneficial.

NGP. You were recently honored with a Fast 50 award recognizing outstanding growth over the last year. What factors have been behind this recent success? How has your corporate strategy helped drive this growth?

JP. The factors that led to this recognition are ingrained in the corporate culture. By making a customer and project-centric focus a clear, common objective across the entire organization, we’ve created an environment that encourages and recognizes new ideas and innovative solutions be utilized to support the unique needs of each client. What we are trying to do is get the customer to the endpoints that are crucial to them, not to the endpoint we think is important. We partner with them to achieve their objectives whether those endpoints are regulatory, partnering or fundraising in nature.

A competitive point of differentiation has historically been the therapeutic focus of INC Research. We have a unique depth of expertise in a well-defined market segment. The company has developed a solid reputation with this focus that has been a large factor in its success.

NGP. Innovation is essential for any ‘rising star’. What would you say have been the key innovations at your organization that separate you out from the competition?

JP. A real differentiator is INC Research’s QuickStart, a series of processes designed to enable the efficient movement of a project through the initial phases of a study. It is clear that the reason so many clinical programs fall short of expectations is the lack of a clear plan for rapid execution at study start. QuickStart provides the benefits of rapid cycle times on all project plans, building study ownership by the entire project team. This innovative approach gives us a leading edge among competitors

NGP. So what’s next for INC Research? How will you build on your recent achievements?

JP. As always, we will continue to listen closely to our customers and enhance our global, full service capabilities to meet their needs. There is demand from our customers that we weave into our offering expanded therapeutic specialization. By continuing to hire the highest caliber professionals, we will continue to achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction that will drive solid future growth.

NGP. Finally, what do you think it takes to be successful in today’s tough pharma market? Is it just about good product? Or is it more than that?

JP. Success is about understanding the nuances of our industry and being customer-centric in our approach. Being focused on actively listening to and fully understanding what customers need is critical, not just telling them what we think is important. We are not just working to get a star at the end to get regulatory approval. What is important is the process and the strong partnership that develops with the customer in that process.