Vial Announces Innovative Dermatology CRO

Vial has launched the Vial Dermatology contract research organization (CRO) with the aim of facilitating higher quality, and faster executed clinical trials. Taglined as “The CRO Built for Sponsors”, this new organization will be powered by the Vial Clinical Network comprising more than 35 dermatology clinics throughout the United States.

Betsey Zbyszynski will lead the Vial CRO team as the head of clinical operations. The team includes Jason Shuris, as head of sales, Janet DuBois, MD, a dermatologist and principal researcher at DermResearch in Austin, Texas, as medical director, Justin Withers as head of dermatology, and Mamta Hunt as head of quality. The Vial CRO executive team have a combined 100+ years of dermatology clinical trial experience.

“Our goal is to deliver the best CRO experience possible. With a truly unique offering around faster speed and higher quality, we want to be the first CRO that sponsors view as a true partner,” Zbyszynski said. “It is so important for the success of a trial that the CRO and sponsor are aligned. At Vial, we are set up to meet sponsor expectations and build long-term relationships.”

Zbyszynski previously spent 2 years as executive director overseeing the dermatology division, providing strategic oversight to sponsors at Synteract Inc. She also previously worked as the director of outsourcing at Intercept Pharmaceuticals; director of client services at Symbio Research, and vice president of DermNet Operations, the CRO division at DermTech International.

The Vial Dermatology CRO the Vial Clinic Network is designed to provide sponsors with better trial outcomes. The network of clinics ensures quality data by directly employing clinical research coordinators and rigorously vetting private investigators. Vial’s clinical research center (CRC) is supported by industry-leading training and development programs, a central quality assurance team to review and support clinics in being compliant, and unique career development opportunities given the scale of the network. According to Withers, the retention, development, and engagement of the CRC is the focus of the leadership team.

Company officials credited Vial’s capabilities in patient recruitment as one driver for the accelerated timelines. Creating a team who is experienced in leading marketing for multiple $10 billion+ consumer companies spearheading the effort has helped Vial develop an unparalleled patient recruitment engine, according to the press release. The patient recruitment team, along with the pre-screening call center, engages qualified subjects to ensure studies meet and/or exceed enrollment targets and expectations, the press release stated.

“It is incredibly exciting for me and the rest of our first-class team to be launching a CRO that can truly make a difference in clinical research,” Shuris said. “The basic premise of our offering is to deliver faster results with the highest degree of quality, which provides significant value for our clients and helps them maximize returns on precious capital.” In his view, extending the potential commercial value of their research and development staged assets is essential to get approved products to patients faster.

“I’ve worked in dermatology clinical trials for over 20 years and haven’t ever encountered a company quite like Vial,” DuBois said. “I am honored to serve as medical director and bring the promise of higher quality and faster trials to sponsors. The slow pace of therapeutic development is calling out for a CRO that is aligned with sponsors, and we hope with the launch today we are witnessing the first day of a new kind of CRO.”

Find the link to full press release and to dermatology CRO here.