‘Lower costs and better outcomes are mission critical’ for sponsors

July 27, 2011 – 10:06 am by Michael Christel

We reported last week that Wendel Barr, the former chief operating officer at contract research giant Covance and 11-year executive with the company, was named CEO of Synteract, a smaller privately held CRO based in San Diego.

We caught up with Mr. Barr after his move across country (Covance headquarters are in Princeton) to talk about his first opportunity as top executive, his plans for Synteract, and the pulse of CRO clients at the moment.

R&D Directions: What opportunities and challenges does taking this position pose?

Mr. Barr: The opportunities for the CRO market have never been better. It’s because clients are faced with unprecedented challenges with patent expires and lack of pipeline productivity. This is causing them to go back and rethink the R&D models.

Lower costs and better outcomes are mission critical. CROs will play a vital role in both areas by helping them reduce their fixed costs and getting the relevant data to the right decision makers faster.

Synteract’s target market segment is the small to mid-size pharma and biotech companies. Our combination of capabilities, customer service, and responsiveness make us a great choice for this segment. We enjoy a nice share of the California market and one of our challenges is to raise the company’s reach to areas outside of the West Coast.

R&D Directions: What are your initial plans for the company? Is the mission to expand globally?

Mr. Barr: My initial plan is to get very intimate with the clients and employees. I will be spending the next few weeks meeting with people at all levels of the company and meeting clients. I want a clear understanding of our capabilities and the client’s needs. My goal is to ensure alignment. I will also be reviewing the strategic plans for the company.

Our plan is to grow. To do this will require us to expand beyond our current three locations (Carlsbad, Calif.; Morrisville, N.C.; and Prague, Czech Republic). It will also require us to meet the increasing global footprint our clients desire. We are reviewing a number of strategic alternatives to achieve this.

R&D Directions: What are some learnings from your time at Covance, particularly in orchestrating strategic partnerships with companies like Lilly, that you can apply to your new position?

Mr. Barr: At Synteract’s heart is an undying commitment to its clients. Clients rave about our flexibility and responsiveness. It’s not a cliché. On this we will continue to build.

Obviously our size makes us more of a niche player for the large pharma companies, but for our target segment we will apply similar principles of service excellence and the desire to bring a broad array of service capabilities to meet their needs. Our size makes us a more intimate provider for our clients and that means they know everyone in the company all the way to the CEO.

R&D Directions: In light of current market trends, is there added urgency for mid-size CROs to ramp up scale – geographically and technology wise – through strategic partnerships and other models?

Mr. Barr: I believe that is correct. The whole industry is changing now. Clients want to hear your thoughts on how you can help them with their challenges. For some services this means bringing more scale and capabilities. Theory is fine, but the ability to deliver is what counts. Our goal is to have alignment around our client’s needs and our capabilities.

R&D Directions: What services, expertise, or cultural aspects at Synteract differentiates the company from other similarly positioned CROs?

Mr. Barr: The first thing you feel when you walk through the door here is that everyone is focused on our customers. The culture of service runs very deep. The genesis of this company was in data management and bio stats and the expertise runs very deep.

These services have been extended to make Synteract a full-service CRO with additional services in clinical operations, medical writing, and medical and regulatory affairs. We also have a very strong project management team.

In addition, we have a large share of the local market here in California. Our retention for clients is over 90 percent, so once they work with us they stay with us.

R&D Directions: We noticed the neat caricatures that accompany the management profiles on Synteract’s Website? Have you decided what yours will be?

Mr. Barr: I have been thinking about it. I have a number of hobbies and things of interest of which some have been taken by the staff. So I will probably select being a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

Tags: CRO, hirings, Synteract