United BioSource Corp. Named Preferred Oncology Clinical Research Partner by RainTree Oncology Services

United BioSource Corp. (UBC), a subsidiary of Express Scripts ESRX, has been named the preferred oncology clinical research partner by RT Oncology Services Corp. (RainTree), the nation's leading community oncology alliance. The agreement seeks to improve patient care by accelerating clinical research in the U.S.

UBC is a market leader in the design and execution of peri- and post-approval clinical trials and clinical studies. As RainTree's preferred oncology clinical research partner, UBC will have access to patient data — under research protocol and with appropriate consent —  from RainTree's alliance of oncologists throughout the U.S. UBC also will partner with RainTree to administer prospective and retrospective observational studies that will provide information about the safety and efficacy of medication in daily clinical use. 

By standardizing processes within the RainTree community oncology setting, leveraging network wide electronic medical records and providing robust adherence to the principles of good clinical practices, this partnership drives faster completion of clinical research and provides patients in nonacademic treatment settings with access to the latest therapies.

Patrick Lindsay, president, UBC, said, "This partnership is at the core of UBC's distinction in supporting clinical development and optimizing the experience for the patient, physician, manufacturer and payer as new products are approved by regulators and introduced to the marketplace.

"We now have an excellent opportunity for community oncologists to gain experience with new therapies in the same setting where approximately 80 percent of cancer patients are treated. When these same medications are approved and released more broadly, physicians will already have important experience with these new therapies."

Jeff Patton, MD, chief medical officer of RainTree, said, "Data gathered by our alliance of oncologists can provide new insights into patterns of care, potential risk factors of new therapies and health-related quality of life, among other components essential to improving patient outcomes. UBC is the experienced partner we need to design and manage clinical research that optimizes the quality of the patient care we provide."