Corporate Responsibility

Premier Research takes its corporate responsibility very seriously. In view of the global impact of COVID-19, we have assigned a task force to ensure business continuity is maintained. The task force is closely monitoring the changing global situation to ensure the health and welfare of our staff, patients enrolled in projects, and investigative sites and staff. Our customers’ projects are of the utmost importance to us, and we understand the business impact this might have on our sponsors.

While this crisis, either in fact or in perception, threatens the proper execution of our clinical protocols, we want to ensure that the integrity of our trials doesn’t get compromised. This will entail:

• Maintaining the safety of patients currently enrolled in our trials
• Minimizing unreasonable cancellation or delay of patient follow-up visits
• Continuing patient enrollment along with our new priorities
• Working with our vendors so that patients continue to have trial medication and study materials
• Understanding and addressing institutional challenges related to the conduct of the trial

In addition to our ongoing site outreach and incident monitoring, we are looking at having backup plans in place to review data remotely should that become necessary.

We continue to remain in full control of our sponsors’ projects and proactively working to mitigate any potential risks. In addition to the sites, we are also working with the vendors to ensure we have up-to-date information on any impact they may have on overall operations.

If you have any project-specific questions or concerns, please contact your project manager or one of our sales associates, who are working in concert with our Covid-19 Task Force.

Global Code of Conduct

Our global mission is to improve productivity in clinical development.
Our commitment is to execute with quality every time, everywhere, in everything we do.

Our values are driven by the knowledge that what we do every day affects the business outcomes of the customers we serve, the lives and well-being of the patients we support, the physicians and providers we work with, the investors who support us, and the colleagues that share our mission. We therefore commit to:

• Alignment with the goals of our customers
• A culture of achievement
• A fundamental belief in teamwork, accountability, and transparency
• Compliance with industry regulations and business ethics
• Support and understanding of patient communities and the challenges they face

Our Commitment to Our Customers

Our philosophy embraces high-touch customer service, a belief that is core to our corporate foundation and culture. In 2016, we designed “Built for Biotech,” an operating model that delivers outcome‑focused insights for sponsors. This model enables us to offer a combination of industry acumen, global compliance, and therapeutic expertise and ensures that innovative ideas aren’t hindered by short-term thinking or limited resources.

Our Commitment to Our Talent

We’re a science-minded culture dedicated to helping transform the latest life-changing discoveries into reality. Because what we do is profoundly connected to saving and improving lives, we never forget the huge responsibility we carry. Every day is different, and every project is special. Whether it’s the importance of addressing unmet needs in rare disease or pediatrics, the thrill of working on state-of-the-art medicines, or working with the smartest and most collaborative people in the industry.
It’s hard work and we are invested in the success of our employees. We believe that when our colleagues are inspired and nurtured, they do their best work. That’s why we developed The Academy, Premier Research’s training program to support professional and career development, emphasize our cultural anchors, and promote our commitment to continuous learning.
We also believe that the best work gets done when a diverse team searches for solutions that address the needs of a varied populace and we are committed to increasing diversity within our ranks.

Our Commitment to Patients

Patients and their advocates are at the heart of everything we do, so we created a support network called Patient and Stakeholder Engagement (PASE) that integrates the input of all relevant stakeholders in the development of patient-centered drugs and devices.
We work with sponsors to understand each disease’s burden and patient treatment goals, gaining vital insight into effective recruitment and retention strategies. Patients and families factor heavily in trial design. And, importantly, we build relationships with patient communities and key opinion leaders.

Our Commitment to Social Responsibility

Premier Research supports many programs and activities that contribute to the unmet societal and charitable needs of people with rare diseases across our global community. These include Rare Disease Day, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, March of Dimes, back-to-school initiatives, men’s and women’s health programs, and charity runs.

Our Commitment to the Environment

We are continuously improving our environmental management system by reviewing internal processes to ensure Premier Research is consistently achieving environmental objectives.

Our environmental policy has been incorporated throughout the company and applied to our supply chain by adopting the following measures:

• Ensure the awareness and compliance of all Premier Research staff through induction training, annual updates and continuous development. This aims to encourage staff to continue to work in an environmentally responsible manner, promoting the efficient use of materials and resources provided by Premier Research, in particular those which are non-renewable.
• Ensure that our suppliers and/or service providers have, as a minimum, an Environmental policy in place that ensure they are continuously striving to operate more efficiently and with reduced fuel emissions.
• Reduce our Carbon footprint and waste through re-use and recycling and by purchasing recycled, recyclable or re-furbished products and materials where these alternatives are available, economical and suitable
• Ensure that our processes are operating within the minimum, achievable environmental impact by integrating the consideration of environmental concerns into all of our decisions and processes.
• Minimize the potential environmental impact of our products and services where possible by:

Reusable and Hazardous Materials

• Striving to minimize the use of paper in the office, e.g., by introducing electronic signatures, we cut down on printing hard copies for handwritten signatures.
• Purchasing recycled and recyclable paper products.
• Reusing and recycling all waste where possible (appropriate bins are provided).
• Replacing hazardous materials and products such as cleaning products, with suitable substitutions and ensuring that employees are aware of the processes that are in place to protect human health and the environment when these materials are used, stored and disposed of.

Energy

• Installation of passive infra-red detectors that switch off lights in common areas when no one is present.
• Making use of efficient luminaires where possible, e.g., L.E.D. light bulbs.
• Triggered heating and air-conditioning systems for use during office hours only.
• Installation of local thermostats to create comfort zones, eliminating wasted energy for unoccupied spaces.
• Purchasing of energy efficient products.

Travel

• Limiting the need for unnecessary travel.
• Requiring senior management approval for non-billable travel.
• Booking non-stop flights reducing carbon emissions at take offs and landings.
• Utilizing IATA (International Air Transport Association) member airlines who invest in carbon offset programs.
• Encourage hybrid and electric car rentals.
• Encourage train and bus travel where practical.

In pursuit of continual improvement we actively encourage everyone within Premier Research to play a part in our corporate responsibility, by taking action to reduce our environmental impact.