Proswell

Driving Innovation for Clinical Trials across China

Toward the end of the 1990s, when the world began combining the innovation of modern technology with medicine more progressively, pharmaceutical operations soared, and patient care witnessed a fresh new wave of efficiency. However, many organizations in various countries, including China, faced a few complicated challenges while implementing the latest in drug development and research initiatives. The problems revolved around inadequate funding alongside academic, industrial, and regulatory hurdles. And over a decade ago, in China’s context, such impediments had led the country’s pharmaceutical industry to focus only on the development of generic drugs. “But since then, China has become a new hotspot for breakthrough innovations in the world of big pharma,” industry veterans remember. And according to Dr Susan Song, Founder and CEO of Proswell—a meritorious CRO—the efficacy of these medicines did not prove to be satisfactory. 

Having worked as a doctor for several years, Dr Song took pride in her responsibilities and carried out her doctoral duties with honor; however, the state of drug development in her country did not sit right with her. “As a doctor, I know that a patient’s recovery, prognosis, and duration of therapy depends on more than good medical skills and experience. The most important part of the healing process remains to be high-quality medicine for treatment,” she expresses. In order to create an effective change in the medical community and drive drug development innovation throughout the nation, Dr Song founded Proswell, thereby offering the most comprehensive clinical research and trial services that also cover all regulatory requirements.

With over 17 years of experience, the company today stands as a one-stop service provider for all clinical trial-related activities. Proswell—a combination of the words ‘prosperous’ and‘well’—drives innovation within pharmaceutical enterprises of all sizes across the world. “I believe that being a doctor can help save people, one person at a time. But if drugs pass clinical trials faster and enter the market at a more rapid pace, it will benefit thousands of patients. This idea sounds very attractive to me,” expresses Dr Song. Proswell supports its clients via effective organization and clinical trials in major therapeutic areas such as oncology, respiratory, ophthalmology, neurology, and anesthesiology. The company takes into consideration a client’s research and development success rates, profitability, and existing research and market products to understand how to serve them best. Following this, Proswell assists the client with integrated, customized, and thoroughly strategized service protocols. Additionally, owing to the fact that over 70 percent of the company’s staff possesses significant experience as healthcare professionals themselves, clients are always tended to with the highest quality of support. “We always make sure to pay attention when hiring new talents and educating employees to optimize the distribution of tasks,” states Dr Song.

To best elucidate on the competencies of Proswell’s services, Dr Song shares the case study of a large oncology project that was launched last year. “From a technical point of view, there were no particular difficulties for our team. But the client was subjected to very strict inclusion criteria according to the trial’s protocol,” she recalls. And interestingly, there was a competitor who also had a similar project in the works. Proswell was expected to deliver results even during the ongoing pandemic, and enrolling new subjects for the trials proved to be challenging. However, drawing from its vast experience, the company ran several online and offline recruitment campaigns and conducted thorough screening processes to ensure complete compliance. And by the end of January, the company finished enrolling the necessary number of volunteers for the trial and successfully helped the client achieve their clinical trial goals. With such a progressive attitude toward innovation in the CRO space, Proswell leads the charge in the APAC market today. The company’s project management office (PMO) intends to continue delivering services that streamline the operation and management of a client’s clinical trial projects cost-effectively and efficiently. Proswell’s vision for drug development is set to revolutionize the manner in which organizations approach clinical trials across China, and, soon, the world.