FAST TRACK Evaluation Service

“Roche Canada is committed to meeting the current and future healthcare needs of Canadians by providing better care, faster. In partnership with CHU de Québec and CATALIS on the pionERA clinical trial, we recruited the world’s first and second patients with ER-positive and HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. By leveraging the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, we accelerated the clinical trial start-up, showcasing Quebec’s exceptional leadership and making it a top location in Canada for clinical trials. It’s through collaboration and action like this that we aim to deliver life-changing medicines to patients rapidly and efficiently – reducing the burden of illness.”

“We value our partnership with CATALIS Quebec because we work together to achieve our common goal, which is to speed up clinical trials so that those who need them can access treatments more quickly. Thanks to the implementation of the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, we have been able to optimize the launch times of our clinical trials in many sites in Quebec. This achievement not only positions Quebec as a prime location for clinical research, contributing as such to healthcare innovation in a highly competitive global environment, but it also solidifies GSK’s commitment to improving patient outcomes and advancing medicine.”

“Our first experience with CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service was a huge success. For a Phase I trial in oncology, we reduced our average launch time by two-thirds and attained two global ‘firsts’: the first site to be launched and the first preselected patient! We look forward to future victories and even faster launches with CATALIS.”

“The FAST TRACK process in Quebec has demonstrated a strong commitment to revolutionize the clinical trial start up process with the aim to accelerate clinical development and expedite access to innovative medicines for patients.  Boehringer Ingelheim Canada Ltd. is excited to see the success of the Quebec-based FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, which is an important collaboration endeavor that places the province in a favorable position globally to attract clinical research, and especially early clinical research.”

“Bayer Canada is very fortunate to have collaborated with CATALIS to achieve first patient first visit globally for this important study at Dr. Fred Saad’s site in Montreal. With CATALIS and the CHUM, we were able to showcase the speed with which we can activate studies in Quebec, and ultimately deliver novel radiopharmaceutical medicines to patients with urgency. Bayer considers CATALIS an integral partner in helping us efficiently advance our assets through the clinical development phases and offer novel treatment options to Canadian patients.”

“BMS Canada is thrilled that through our collaboration with CATALIS and Dr. Sarit Assouline and her team at the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal we were able to leverage the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service and achieve an accelerated start-up in a first in human acute myeloid leukemia trial. We look forward to our ongoing partnership with CATALIS and investigators as we work together to bring innovative therapeutic options to Quebec patients sooner!”

“Novartis Canada is proud to be one of the first sponsors to partner with CATALIS. Through this partnership, we have successfully conducted a radioligand therapy trial for the PSMA indication. By using the CATALIS FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, we were able to initiate the trial earlier, with the added milestone of the first patient visit in Canada. This achievement underscores the importance of efficiency and effectiveness in clinical trials and demonstrates Quebec’s commitment to accelerate clinical trials. We are confident that this ongoing collaboration will continue to deliver value and further demonstrate our commitment to advancing research that will have a positive impact on patients and their families.”

“Pfizer is pleased to be a member of the CATALIS Network and to have carried out its first project through the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service. Given the critical need to offer new treatments to patients more quickly, the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service allowed us to significantly reduce the time it took us to launch our study while greatly simplifying the logistics inherent in the process. We really hope to repeat this success in future collaborations with the CATALIS Evaluation Service.”

“The FAST TRACK Evaluation Service has allowed us to begin clinical research projects more rapidly while still following the rigorous regulatory and ethical process which ensures patient safety. We are extremely proud of being the first site in the world to be activated for this study, which will allow Dr. Oskoui to offer this new treatment faster to her young patients.” 

“As one of CATALIS’ three founding partner institutions, the CRCHUM is extremely proud to participate in the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service and thus offer patients with metastatic prostate cancer quick access to this promising new therapeutic modality within the framework of this project led by Professor Saad.”

“In many cases, there is no therapeutic solution for patients with rare diseases. With CATALIS’ support, CHU Sainte-Justine is pleased to facilitate access to innovative clinical trials for patients with these diseases and to help identify promising treatments.”

“The FAST TRACK evaluation service has allowed us to increase private promoters’ power of attraction and launch projects in no time. Rapidly getting approval to launch Roche’s ProHer study and Sanofi’s Phase I – II study will allow the researchers, namely Dr. Lemieux and her team, to begin recruiting and, above all, to offer the drug to users quickly.”

“The CHU de Québec-Université Laval is proud to have participated in CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service since this initiative’s inception. By activating clinical trials faster, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to have quicker access to innovative new therapeutic approaches for the benefit of all our patients. In addition, our participation in CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service lets us showcase our clinical research teams’ skills and expertise.”

“The Research and Teaching Unit of the Chaudière-Appalaches CISSS is delighted to be partnering with the CATALIS Network. We are proud to have contributed, through the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, to ensuring that celiac patients in our region have rapid access to this promising treatment and can participate in its development. This success is due in no small part to the effective collaboration between Dr. Samson’s research team, the members of the CATALIS team, the Research Access Point team, the Research Ethics Committee and the relevant departments and services of the institution.”

“Providing timely access to clinical trials is essential for our users’ quality of care. Our institution is proud to make every effort to shorten the approval times for industry-financed clinical trials. CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service has provided us with the means to do so.”

“From an ethical standpoint, it is important for the patients and the people of Quebec, that clinical trials be conducted in Quebec. In this context, the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service is a positive example, in my opinion, of teamwork and of consolidating expertise to achieve this.”

“To ensure patient safety, clinical trials must follow rigorous regulatory and ethical processes. From the outset, it was imperative that the FAST TRACK Evaluation Service meet these requirements in a high-performance environment. The CATALIS Network focused on developing the new service so that ethics committees could base their evaluation on a high-quality project application. With the use of functional templates from the sponsor that incorporate Quebec’s harmonized legal clauses, we can assess them much more quickly.”

“Dr. Lemieux, along with her team and colleagues at the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, are proud to be part of the pionERA study and to have recruited the world’s first two participants. Thanks to the dedicated work done by Fanie Bourgault, Judith-Elise Marcoux, and CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, our site was one of the first to have been activated. In addition, thanks to nurse specialist, Justine Pringalle’s determination, two participants were able to quickly complete the selection process and be enrolled in the study. Dr. Lemieux would also like to highlight Roche’s Agota Ferenc’s effective collaboration in helping to launch our site. This great teamwork is what lets us reach these high standards of efficiency.”

“In early-stage clinical research, where windows of opportunity are often very small, minimizing delays is critically important. Thanks to CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service, the CHU de Québec-Université Laval was the first group in the world to launch the Sanofi TCD17240 study and thus offer an additional potential therapeutic avenue for people with cancer.”

“I am delighted that the close collaboration between CATALIS, the CHUM and its Therapeutic Innovations Unit has led to the approval of this Phase I oncology study for advanced solid tumors within 7 weeks. Thanks to the FAST TRACK evaluation service, our cooperation will make it possible to offer Quebec patients an increasing number of clinical trials. This is a great step forward for the clinical research community in Quebec and elsewhere, and another step towards increasing the competitiveness of our province on an international scale.”

“We are desperately in need of new therapies for patients with AML and MDS. Phase I clinical trials in this disease space are instrumental and also extremely challenging. The quicker these trials can be opened and enrolled, the quicker we achieve our goals of finding more effective and safer ways to treat these deadly diseases. CATALIS allowed us to open this trial in 8.6 weeks and we enrolled the second patient worldwide. The JGH CRU is a Canadian leader in phase I studies, CATALIS is now part of how we ensure our success and how we get promising therapies to Quebec and Canadian patients so quickly.”

“We are very proud to have been able to activate this Phase 1 study in record time, particularly given the complexity of a clinical trial assessing a new agent targeting advanced prostate cancer. This new treatment gives hope to patients who have exhausted virtually all available therapeutic options to prolong their lives. We are extremely grateful that one of our patients is the first in the world to benefit from this clinical trial and hope this treatment will prove effective in managing this life-threatening stage of the disease. We thank the patients and their caregivers who are willing to participate in clinical trials because it is the only way to offer new treatment options to patients around the world.” 

“Our participation in an HIV trial has gained invaluable momentum thanks to the fast turnaround times provided by CATALIS’ FAST TRACK Evaluation Service. Their efficient review processes with our local research ethics boards and contracting teams ensure that innovative treatments reach those in need quickly, providing renewed optimism in the fight against HIV/AIDS.”

“We are happy to have participated in the pilot of CATALIS’ service and to have had the opportunity to positively contribute to the FAST TRACK evaluation process. We slightly exceeded the 8-week target, but that didn’t prevent us from being the first site in the world to launch. We are finalizing our local trajectories and actively seeking our first participant!”

“Adolescents diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) have limited treatment options and few opportunities to participate in clinical research and potentially access new therapies, which is why I am very pleased that the Clinical Research Unit’s (CRU) first-ever pediatric trial was launched in record time thanks to CATALIS’ FAST TRACK evaluation service. The NEOS trial will compare the efficacy and safety of three standard adult treatments to determine which is best tolerated by, and most effective for, these young patients with MS.”