ACRO Statement Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act of 2009

WASHINGTON-The following is the statement of Doug Peddicord, PhD, Executive Director of the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO), on S. 1213 the “Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act.”

 The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) is pleased to lend its support to the “Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act” introduced by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) and Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND). ACRO also supports the related House bill, H.R. 2502, introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR).

 In addition to protecting patient access to quality health care and encouraging continued innovation in drug development, S. 1213 and H.R. 2502 address a major shortcoming of the comparative effectiveness research provisions of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act” (ARRA) by creating a real, independent public-private structure to fund, prioritize, design, analyze and report on this important research.

 ACRO remains concerned that certain privacy provisions of ARRA that serve to restrict access to health data will make comparative effectiveness research more difficult and expensive to conduct. As these bills move through the legislative process, we encourage Congress to remedy these unnecessary restrictions to data access so the promised benefits of comparative effectiveness research can be realized.

 Further, to ensure CER funds are spent in a manner that supports sound, efficient research, ACRO believes two key criteria must be considered when awarding research projects: that priority be given to organizations that have a demonstrated ability to aggregate, synthesize and analyze large amounts of data from disparate sources; and that the organizations conducting the research have the proven ability to access a wide variety of research sites and to reach diverse patient populations for the  purpose of clinical research.

 About ACRO
The Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) is the professional organization of companies whose focus is clinical research. The association provides an active voice for the CRO industry, which provides specialized services that are integral to the development of drugs, biologics and medical devices. ACRO helps its members improve the quality, efficiency and safety of biomedical research. ACRO member companies employ more than 70,000 professionals worldwide. For more information, please visit www.acrohealth.org.