In the last quarter of 2024 Panthera signed up more than 1000 UK patients for clinical trials
More than 1000 patients have been recruited by Panthera Biopartners the UK’s largest SMO (Site Management Organisation) who recruit patients and runs clinical trials for the pharmaceutical industry.
More than a 100,000 patients came forward to take part in the trials but this boiled down to just over a 1000 who met the conditions of each study.
Panthera, which has six sites across the UK, has in the last two years been the top recruiter globally in four studies, the top recruiter in the UK on six other studies and has achieved first patient in globally or in the UK on nine studies. It also became the first UK public or commercial clinical trial organisation to become part of the Parexel Site Alliance Vaccine Network.
Chris Dodd, Chief Commercial Officer at Panthera, commented “The UK is particularly well placed to become a centre for running commercial trials with top-quality PIs, a diverse population and experienced clinical trial sites.”
Panthera Biopartners has again broadened the range of therapy areas it can run clinical trials in to include not only vaccines, cardiovascular, general medicine, diabetes, neurology, respiratory, dermatology and rheumatology but also specialist areas such as oncology, NASH and early dementia trials.
The UK remains a top destination for clinical trials due to its dense and diverse population, high-calibre healthcare professionals, and recent regulatory advancements by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Changes to streamline regulatory reviews have enhanced the UK’s competitiveness against European countries while offering cost advantages over the US.
Panthera Biopartners signs two new clinical trial contracts over £10 million each
Panthera has recently signed two clinical trial contracts worth over £10 million each. These trials for international pharma companies involve recruiting patients and running the clinical trials at its sites across the UK. This continues a very successful run for Panthera, which had a record-breaking year in 2024.
Despite a decline in NHS-registered clinical trial enrolments, independent SMOs like Panthera are experiencing rapid growth. With more than 50 dedicated trial sites across the UK, this sector continues to expand, providing crucial services to pharmaceutical companies and Contract Research Organisations (CROs).
Unlike NHS figures, the contributions of SMOs are not included in ABPI or NHS statistics, underscoring the untapped potential of these organisations in driving clinical trial success.
The UK remains a top destination for clinical trials due to its dense and diverse population, high-calibre healthcare professionals, and recent regulatory advancements by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Changes to streamline regulatory reviews have enhanced the UK’s competitiveness against European countries while offering cost advantages over the US.
Great success of York’s first dedicated clinical research site
Panthera’s York clinical trial site has got off to an excellent start since it was opened by the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells, on 25th July last year. Not only has the site engaged with nearly 1000 local patients who want to take part in clinical trials but it has also been ranked as one of the top clinical trial sites in the UK on a vaccine study.
The clinic, which is located in the Acomb Garth Community Centre in York, is operated in partnership with local primary care services provider Nimbuscare, and features six modern, private consultation rooms.
Chris Dodd, Panthera’s Chief Commercial Officer commented “Our newest clinical research site in York has got off to a flying start. We are the first company to open a dedicated research site in York and the support we have received from the local community and our partners has been fantastic and enabled us to successfully enol patients onto ground breaking clinical trials very quickly. For the York site to be ranked as one of the top clinical trial sites in the UK on its first study is a huge achievement and testament to the hard work of our team. We look forward to continuing at the same pace and bringing the very best clinical research and significant healthcare investment to the community of York”.
Panthera celebrates its fifth anniversary
On Thursday the 23rd January 2025 Panthera celebrated its fifth anniversary at its head office and clinical trial site in Preston (Lancashire, England). The guest of honour at the celebration was Maya Ellis – MP for Ribble Valley.
Since launching in 2019 Panthera has rapidly become the largest Site Management Organisation (SMO) in Britain carrying out trials on behalf of ten of the top twelve pharma companies and seven of the top CRO’s.
In the last two years Panthera has been the top recruiter globally in four studies, the top recruiter in the UK on more than six studies and has achieved first patient in globally or in the UK on nine studies. In the last quarter of 2024, Panthera randomised more than 1000 patients across its six sites and last year Panthera became the first UK clinical trial site organisation to join Parexel’s Site Alliance Vaccine network – testament to its exceptional performance in recruiting patients across numerous studies and its strong working relationship with Parexel.
The guest of honour at the celebration was Maya Ellis – MP for Ribble Valley – who commented “It was an honour to attend Panthera’s celebration at its clinical research clinic in Preston and good to meet so many of the people who are involved in the vital work of developing new medicines. I am delighted that people living in Preston have the opportunity to take part in this research not only for themselves , but also for the health of our children, grandchildren and future generations”.
Panthera's Dr Ian Smith MBE sets the record straight
You can read the opinion piece here https://lnkd.in/ev89ikUa
And Ian’s response here https://lnkd.in/ecNZzDCi
Panthera - Out and about
SCRS European Site Solutions Summit 2025
The Panthera team had an enjoyable, informative, and productive few days at the SCRS European Site Solutions Summit in Portugal on the 24th-25th February.
From engaging discussions and insightful sessions, to meaningful new connections, this event once again proved why it’s the premier platform for clinical research collaboration. A huge thank you to everyone we met, we look forward to continuing the discussions and seeing you again soon.
FemHealth 2025
Panthera attended FemHealth 2025 in Manchester on Tuesday 18th March.
Dr. Olivia Wickens (Associate Medical Director ) and Amy Barratt (Associate Director of Business Development) represented Panthera at this important event. One of the key discussions was the focus on the underrepresentation of women in clinical research – a critical issue that impacts treatment outcomes and healthcare equity.
Dr Wickens joined the ‘Women on Trial’ panel, alongside experts from across the industry, to explore how we can drive change and ensure better representation of women in clinical trials. Thank you to Life Science Integrates for spotlighting these important issues.
MHRA Good Clinical and Laboratory Practice Symposia
Our Associate Director of Quality Assurance, Stephen Scull, attended the MHRA Good Clinical and Laboratory Practice Symposia on 11th – 12th February, gaining key insights into the transition from ICH GCP E6 R2 to E6 R3, set for implementation in 2026.
Key takeaways:eliering best-in-class clinical trial solutions for our partners.
🔹 Significant changes to Data Governance, Investigator Responsibilities, and Essential Records
🔹 The importance of gap analysis to ensure Panthera’s SOPs remain fully aligned with regulatory expectations
🔹 A thought-provoking session on “The Challenges of a Modern Investigator Site”, highlighting evolving site expectations and sponsor collaboration
At Panthera, we are committed to staying ahead of regulatory changes and ensuring our clinical trial sites operate to the highest standards of quality, compliance, and patient safety. Stephen’s insights will help us adapt and continue.
Say hello to Panthera’s new Chief Information Officer
Our IT Director Andy Broomhead has been promoted to Chief Information Officer at Panthera. Andy’s dedication and expertise have been instrumental in driving our digital/tech advancements in recent years. Andy’s journey is a testament to our belief in empowering our employees to reach new heights and further shows our commitment to fostering talent from within.
Click HERE to read Andy’s post latest post “Panthera: Leading the Way with Technology”
Panthera dinner with Alex Churchill, Deputy Director - Clinical Trials Policy at the Department of Health
Our next dinner will take place on 10th April 2025 at The Royal Society of Medicine in London where Alex Churchill, Deputy Director – Clinical Trials Policy at the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC), will join is to discuss how we can make Britain a leader in clinical trials.
We are looking forward to an interesting discussion.
In the news...
Last week, Pharmaphorum featured a great article from Hilary Coles, former R&D director for Janssen’s global clinical operations in the UK and lead for research in the UK, with the title “The time is right for a grand resurgence of commercial clinical trials in the UK”.
Hilary commented “Now that regulatory approvals are back on track, and the EU has slowed down, we cannot afford for growth in commercial clinical trials to be tardy, and must fully embrace the spectrum of organisations who can transform this. A clear commitment and openness to efficiently delivering life-saving treatments will see commercial trials return to our shores in vastly greater numbers and bring much-needed investment and life- change. Collectively, we should recognise the immediate capacity and expertise in our SMOs, who are ready and waiting”
Read the full article HERE
Panthera preparing to take part in Race for Life Manchester 10k 2025
Panthera is preparing to take part in Race for Life Manchester 2025 following the success of last year’s race where the Panthera team was the single largest group fundraiser for the event. The Race for Life Manchester 10k will take place on Sunday 11th May at Heaton Park in Manchester.
Panthera’s team, consisting of 23 employees drawn from its clinical research clinics in Preston, Rochdale, Sheffield and Enfield, is busy fundraising and seeking sponsorship to beat the impressive £4000 raised last year for Cancer Research UK.
Stuart Young, CEO of Panthera commented “As a company we are dedicated to advancing medical research across all therapy areas and have extensive experience in running cancer clinical trials. We are very proud of our team for the second year running, to help raise funds and make a contribution in the fight against cancer. Whether they will be running, jogging, walking, or simply cheering from the sidelines, we are proud of their involvement and their dedication to such a worthwhile cause. Go team Panthera!”.
You can support team Panthera and make a donation at Panthera BioPartners