SMS-oncology reports strong growth in 2018, appointment of COO and future plans
SMS-oncology, a full-service contract research organization (CRO) solely dedicated to oncology drug development, today reports a continuous strong company growth in 2018. The growth comprises an increase in both revenue and employment base.
To accommodate future growth, SMS-oncology strengthened its management team by promoting Ms. Eveline Verheijen to Chief Operating Officer (COO) per January 2019. Ms. Verheijen has over thirteen years of experience in the field of oncology clinical operations, and held operational roles at Bayer and GSK before joining SMS-oncology. In her seven years at SMS-oncology, Ms. Verheijen contributed to the development of the company, and helped it become one of the key players in the field of oncology drug development.
Ms. Verheijen is excited to continue to build and implement the strategy of the company in her new position as COO: “The year 2018 was a great year in which we initiated numerous clinical trials, of which many involve the most innovative (immuno-)oncology drugs and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Clinical trials with anti-cancer compounds remain the most challenging of its kind. The growth we see in our company, both through new clients as well as repeat business, reflects the need for the oncology expertise we have to offer.”
The Oncology Drug Development Affairs department of SMS-oncology provides the oncology expertise needed to successfully design and conduct oncology trials. The company appointed Ms. Inka Pawlitzky, PhD, as department Director. Dr. Pawlitzky brings over 18 years of oncology and immunology research experience in both academia and industry.
With the growing number of trials and a challenging clinical landscape, SMS-oncology is excited and proud to have initiated a dedicated Patient Inclusion department. The department led by Ms. Wendy Onstenk, MD PhD, will focus on improving recruitment strategies. Before joining SMS-oncology, Dr. Onstenk was Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at Hartwig Medical Foundation.
Ms. Philine van den Tol, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at SMS-oncology: “Industry research shows that a large group of eligible patients is not included in clinical trials. With our dedicated department, we are keen to overcome barriers hampering optimal patient recruitment and to support clinical investigators in such a way that recruitment of all eligible patients becomes a reality.”
Furthermore, SMS-oncology is spreading its geographical footprint by expanding its local presence in Germany, Spain and the Nordics.
Source: SMS-oncology
