Sanofi, TrialSpark team up to acquire molecules and study them in tech-enabled trials
New York-based TrialSpark is built on a tech-driven platform that it claims can shave one to three years off drug development. The company partners with research sites and presents them with opportunities to participate in clinical trials that are relevant to their experience and interests.
TrialSpark aims to qualify sites and move them toward activation within two weeks. Once a site joins a study, it gains access to technology and enrollment support, including software that enables staff to bypass manual electronic data collection entry.
Novartis and Pfizer have already shown an interest in the platform, signing up to work with TrialSpark in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Those deals positioned the leading drug makers to benefit from TrialSpark’s approach to clinical development.
The Sanofi deal is different. Working together, Sanofi and TrialSpark will work to acquire or in-license six Phase 2 or 3 drug candidates over the next three years. The alliance will leverage Sanofi’s commercial expertise and TrialSpark’s drug development capabilities.
“This collaboration will not only identify attractive late-stage assets, but will also use innovative development plans which could bring meaningful outcomes to patients in areas of mutual interest,” said Alban de La Sablière, partnering head, Sanofi.
TrialSpark outlined plans to explore “new and innovative models of clinical development, such as behavioral intervention and digital technologies to achieve better patient outcomes,” through its pact with Sanofi.
The business development teams will seek to secure best-in-class candidates in areas of high unmet medical need. TrialSpark’s internal work is focused on acquiring undervalued clinical stage-drugs from pharma and biotech companies.
At the start of the year, the company licensed sprifermin, an investigational first-in-class disease modifying treatment for osteoarthritis, from Merck KGaA and set up High Line Bio to advance the drug candidate.
