BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Evidera, a leading provider of evidence-based solutions for the health care industry and the peri- and post-approval business unit of Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC (PPD), today announced the expansion of its patient-centered research services to provide clients with new and innovative approaches to more effectively gather and incorporate patient perspectives into drug development programs.

Evidera now offers a full range of patient-centered services, including clinical outcome assessment (COA); burden of illness studies; perceptions of treatment and quality of care; patient engagement; patient-centered benefit-risk assessment, preference, utility and adherence studies; technology (m/eHealth) validation studies; and related strategic and regulatory consulting. The new service offerings complement Evidera’s long history of COA services, from strategic planning to instrument development, validation, data analyses and regulatory submissions.

“The patient’s voice always has been core to Evidera’s work,” said Nancy Kline Leidy, Ph.D., Evidera’s senior vice president of scientific affairs. “Our team of health outcomes research scientists is the largest in the field, with more than 20 years of experience in COA science and strategy. This new suite of patient-centered services builds on this expertise and will enable our clients to effectively navigate this new world of patient-focused drug development and value-based market access.”

Evidera’s patient-centered services will provide clients with the capacity to develop a comprehensive understanding of the patient experience, including burden of illness, unmet needs and treatment preferences, to inform patient-centered trial design and market access strategies. Evidera’s team has a unique combination of experience in quantitative and qualitative methods for eliciting patient preference information that meets the needs of regulatory and payer decision-makers.

These services are an important component of PPD’s comprehensive, strategic solutions that put the patient at the center of drug development. These solutions focus on empirically based methodologies and innovative development strategies to identify and engage patients in new and different ways, thereby increasing the ability to reach the right patients for each study.

“Evidera’s emphasis on patient engagement addresses the need for patient-centered evidence, which is increasingly required by key stakeholders and decision-makers,” said Margaret Vernon, Ph.D., vice president and general manager of the patient-centered research team. “Our aim is to leverage our regulatory insights and scientific expertise to help our clients successfully engage patients throughout the drug development process.”

Under the leadership of Dr. Vernon, Hilary Wilson, Ph.D., will direct patient engagement strategy and research services while Kevin Marsh, Ph.D., will continue to direct patient preference research services.

For more information please attend Evidera’s webinar, Patient-centered Research in the Era of Patient-focused Drug Development, led by Dr. Wilson and Heather Gelhorn, Ph.D., senior research scientist, patient-centered research, on Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017, or contact info@evidera.com.

About Evidera

Evidera - Evidence, Value & Access by PPD is a leading provider of evidence-based solutions to demonstrate the real-world effectiveness, safety and value of health care products. We help biopharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies generate the evidence needed to optimize the market access and commercial potential of their products.

About PPD

PPD is a leading global contract research organization providing comprehensive, integrated drug development, laboratoryand lifecycle management services. Our clients and partners include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, academic and government organizations. With offices in 47 countries and approximately 20,000 professionals worldwide, PPD applies innovative technologies, therapeutic expertise and a firm commitment to quality to help clients and partners bend the cost and time curve of drug development to deliver life-changing therapies that improve health.