PiVOT
Spearheading Local Clinical Operations and Project Management

While conducting clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine, PiVOT – a prominent, local CRO (Contract Research Organization) company in the Philippines, encountered a communication gap between the national and the local governments. Even though the Philippine government approved the trial, mayors seemed clueless and tried to suspend the trial midway. PiVOT, with its team of local individuals, resolved the issue with ease and was able to bridge the existing gap and continue the trial without any further delay.

“Our extensive local knowledge provides us a strong competitive edge because we are aware of the local regulations, ground conditions, operating sites, principal investigators, and key opinion leaders, all of which are prerequisites of a successful clinical trial,” mentions Joaquin E. Quintos IV, CEO of PiVOT.

Amidst the dominating presence of foreign CROs in the Philippine clinical trial market, Pi Health Inc. —a Lopez Group Company marketed under the name PiVOT— successfully carved out a niche for itself in the clinical trial management industry. PiVOT’s journey as a Filipino CRO company began in 2018 when a $10 billion conglomerate tasked the now head of Business Development, Joseph Cheng, with building a business case for a CRO since they intended to branch out beyond their usual Capex-heavy industries into education and healthcare. Unlike other competitors vying on hospitals and pharmaceutical sectors, PiVOT chose to offer a complete suite of clinical trial management systems - from front-end Clinical Trial Monitoring to back-end pharmacovigilance, data management, and regulatory affairs. Today, PiVOT is primarily focused on creating partnerships with other CROs in Southeast Asia to cater to clients’ needs by conducting clinical trials in this region.

PiVOT’s Clinical Trial Management begins with checking the feasibility of the clinical trial–through site selection, IRB application, pre-study visits, site initiation visit, physical and remote monitoring,

and then site closeout. Leveraging its CTM (Clinical Trial Management) platform, PiVOT facilitates stellar clinical-trial-related services to other contract research organizations (CROs), pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, medical device businesses, and clinical investigation sites. In addition, PiVOT extends holistic Clinical Trial Support Services, which can be as early as protocol and ICF development, regulatory approvals, biostatistics, and audits.

As a distinguished player in the Philippines’ CRO market, PiVOT partners with both local and foreign clients to conduct clinical trials in the country. Moreover, the company assists local clients in acquiring funding and subsidies from the local and national governments or attracting the attention of big-name global CROs in clinical development. Besides the company’s expertise in facilitating clinical trials, PiVOT enables local clients to avail flexible payment terms which match their market plans and charge them in local currency for hassle free transactions. PiVOT abstains from charging huge overheads and assures a competitive price structure to foreign clients.

A success story of an existing client would be appropriate to emphasize the efficacy of PiVOT’s services better. One of PiVOT’s clients wanted to expand its patient recruitment target from 5,000 to 20,000. Before COVID, the usual total number of Philippine vaccine volunteers per year was 4,000 subjects. It was quite a challenge because the regulators were skeptical and it meant drastically increasing the headcount to adjust for the size of the trial. In the end, PiVOT helped the client to recruit all 20,000 subjects only an extra month beyond the original target date for the 5,000 subjects.

PiVOT’s accelerated growth from a start-up in 2019 to the Philippines’ leading clinical trial company is its constant endeavour to expand and grow. As most patient recruitment happens in Metro Manila, the company aims to take the clinical trials to far-flung provinces with limited healthcare options where it is most impactful to the local communities.

Conclusively, PiVOT’s precise and limitless efforts to lessen tribulations in a clinical study while maintaining its commitment to the clients are reflected in its name, which is derived from Pi (a precise yet endless value) and votive, which stands for the fulfillment of a vow.