Patient Experience
Patient Experience
Relationships with key stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, regulators, clinical groups, patients, and their communities deepen over time, adding significant value to the business and securing CSL’s license to operate. By working closely with patients, CSL can identify and pursue innovations that address unmet medical needs.
In recent years, the biopharmaceutical industry has acknowledged the central role of the patient, acknowledging that patients are the experts on the reality of living with their condition. CSL, which develops and manufactures medicines and vaccines, lists patient focus as its foremost value and, for several years, has actively supported outreach programs. One such initiative is the Center for Information and Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) which is focused on clinical trials and improving the patient experience. Additionally, CSL is a founding member of PALADIN (Patient Advocacy Leaders and Drug Development Industry Network), a new organisation dedicated to optimising collaboration between the industry and patient advocacy groups in researching new treatments, as well as engaging in the EUPATI (European Patient Academy on Therapeutic Innovation).
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Commitment CSL’s commitment is to elevate the Patient Experience in drug development by embedding patient insights and lived experience through patient-informed clinical development programs and formalising diversity plans to include representative populations. CSL’s Goals for 2030:
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Representative clinical trials
CSL understands the importance of representative participation in clinical trials. Ideally, the mix of clinical trial participants would mirror the demographics of the population affected by the studied indication, yet minorities often remain underrepresented in clinical trials.
For medicines and vaccines in development, CSL employs various strategies to align clinical studies participants to the demographics of the population that lives with the disease. Some of these strategies include choosing the clinical sites, the patient advocacy/support groups CSL partners with and the communities CSL speak to about the clinical studies.
Participants in clinical trials help answer important questions about potential new treatments, paving the way for innovation that will benefit future patients. Participation may also offer patients the opportunity to be among the first to receive innovative treatments. Therefore, it is crucial that the composition of clinical trials reflects that of the general population.
For further details on CSL’s clinical trial practices please refer to: https://www.csl.com/research-and-development/clinical-studies/research-practices
Designing clinical research for patients, with patients
Listening to the input of patients, their caregivers and research participants as CSL designs clinical studies is a key focus. CSL enrols participants who reflect the disease’s epidemiology to enable the scientific validity of clinical studies.
Patient advisory boards and operational protocol walkthroughs
CSL reviews clinical study visits and procedures with potential participants and researchers before finalising protocol design. The aim is to create a feasible and meaningful study. CSL also embeds patient touchpoints in developing medicines and vaccines through a patient engagement strategy specific to each product.
Remote options for clinical study participants
Study participant and clinical researcher feedback on study design helps identify procedures that can be conducted in the home or a location better suited to the needs of each participant. During FY2025, over half of the studies started by CSL included remote options for participants.
Patient focus across the organisation
CSL’s work with patients, for patients, doesn’t stop with its clinical trial execution. CSL underpins these efforts with its steadfast support in industry and advocacy consortia working to advance patient-focused drug development and clinical study awareness and access.
Recognising that health education and health equity are crucial elements of patient empowerment and pivotal components for successful collaboration with patients in the development of CSL therapies, CSL R&D partnered with Clinispan Health and local US Plasma centres to organise three community health summits. These summits, held in Raleigh, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Charlotte, North Carolina, featured keynote speakers and panel discussions including community-based healthcare leaders. The events aimed to educate minority and underserved populations about the importance of taking control of their health and the benefits of minority participation in clinical research. Combined, the summits attracted 250 in-person attendees and over 500 online viewers, with many expressing gratitude for the new insights gained and for CSL’s commitment to addressing healthcare disparities.
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