|
Trial Management Group Inc. is
a Site Management Organization (SMO) that was formed in 1995 by
John C. Akitt and Scott Guidolin in order to promote the
participation of a primary care physicians in medical research
studies. Coming from pharmaceutical sales backgrounds and
knowing that the majority of clinical trials were still being
conducted at universities and/or teaching hospitals, John and
Scott believed that an opening existed for an organized GP/FP
research network. They felt that by cultivating the development
of professional investigative sites at the primary care level,
TMG could provide pharmaceutical companies with the quality they
expect from an institutional site coupled with the comprehensive
patient histories of a family practice clinic that would provide
the basis for more meaningful clinical data.
With this model in mind they went about the task of organizing a
nationwide network of general and family practitioners who had
shown an interest, and expressed a commitment, to conducting
high quality research trials. By promoting both the quality and
the accessibility of the network to potential sponsors their
hard work was eventually rewarded in the spring of 1997 when TMG
was contracted to provide 29 Canadian sites for a phase III
hypertension study. Since that time the exclusive TMG network
has grown to 35 sites, which have participated in over 100 phase
II, III and IV research studies. TMG has been honoured to have
been selected as the exclusive Canadian site provider for
several of these studies.
Attention to quality has been a cornerstone of TMG's approach.
The TMG Biomedical Research Site Training Seminar was developed
in 1996 to train every TMG investigator and coordinator in GCP
conduct. In 2002 the TMG SOPs were developed and provided to all
TMG sites, to be followed by the TMG SOP Training Seminar to
train all site personnel on the significance, implementation,
and regular use and administration of site SOPs.
In 2003 TMG instituted a program of sponsorship for TMG
study coordinator certification (CCRP/CCRC).
Originally located in London, Ontario, TMG relocated their
offices to Toronto in the summer of 2000. The move was made in
order to accommodate present & future expansion and to
situate the company for more convenient interaction with their
customers. It was also at this time that Shawn Keown came on
board as part of the TMG management team. Shawn’s background
as a sales representative in the pharmaceutical industry,
coupled with an MBA from McMaster and drug development
consulting experience, have proven invaluable in growing TMG to
the point where it stands today as Canada’s largest GP based
site management organization. |
