Welcome to the Bayer Pharmaceuticals website for Investigator Initiated Research (IIR). Bayer is committed to the improvement of healthcare by the support of independent research proposals, which further increase knowledge and understanding of different disease areas and treatment options.
Bayer will have no role in the planning or conduct of the study. Bayer will support suitably qualified Investigators / Institutions in pursuing their own research interests, which are of scientific merit and promote legitimate research goals.
IIR Definition
Investigator / Institution Initiated Research (IIR): Investigator Initiated Research encompasses any research activity both initiated and conducted by a party outside of Bayer Pharmaceuticals. The requirements applicable to this external party are those applicable to an Investigator and a Sponsor as required by applicable law and regulations. The research may include clinical or non-clinical activities.
Investigator: The Investigator is an individual, a company, institution, or organization responsible for the initiation, management, and conduct of the research activity. If the research activity is conducted by a team of individuals, the Investigator is the responsible leader of the team and may be called the Principal Investigator. The Investigator(s) is / are external from Bayer Pharmaceuticals.
Sponsor: In the conduct of a clinical trial, a sponsor is an individual, institution, company or organization (for example, a contract research organization) that takes the responsibility to initiate, manage or finance the clinical trial but does not actually conduct the investigation.
GCP: Good Clinical Practice (GCP) is defined as a standard for the design, conduct, performance, monitoring, auditing, recording, analysis and reporting of clinical trials or studies.
General
Bayer Areas of Interest for IIR
Pulmonology: Pulmonary Hypertension including Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension (CTEPH) and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH).
Infectiology: in vitro resistance, animal models of infection pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, in vitro and animal models studies addressing specific mechanisms of resistance and non-clinical and clinical research in Chagas’ Disease.
Diagnostic Imaging: Studies using Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Angiography, Positron Emission Tomography (PET).
Hematology: Hemophilia A, bleeding disorders.
Multiple Sclerosis: Treatment adherence and biomarkers.
Oncology: Prostate cancer, Mesothelioma, Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumour (GIST), Gastric cancer, Cervical cancer, Breast cancer, Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC),Small Cell Lung Cancer, HCC Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Disseminated Tumour Cells (DTC), Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML), T Cell Lymphoma.
Ophthalmology: Neovascular (Wet) Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), Macular Edema Following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO), Macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO), diabetic macular edema (DME), and myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV).
Thrombosis: Venous thromboembolism prevention (including orthopaedic surgery, treatment of venous thromboembolism, Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation, Secondary Prevention of Acute Coronary syndrome.
Women’s Health: Oral and intrauterine contraception, endometriosis and fibroids.
IIR Process Overview with Timelines
| PROCESS STEP | INVESTIGATOR ACTIVITIES | BAYER ACTIVITIES | TYPICAL TIMELINE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-check & Submission |
|
|
Mainly dependent on sponsor’s/ Investigator’s timeline |
| Revew and Approval / Rejection |
|
|
1.5 – 2 months |
| Contracting |
|
|
First draft of agreement after 15 calendar days; response expected in following 15 calendar days; total duration of contracting process depends on intensity and pace of negotiations |
| Study Realization |
|
|
Dependent on study |
| Study Conclusion (or early termination) and Publication |
|
|
Dependent on study & resources; the final study report or publication manuscript should be submitted to Bayer within 1 year after study conclusion |
Tools
Checklist for Submission to Mont Blanc:
In the Mont Blanc electronic approval and tracking system you will be asked to provide the following:
- Create a study concept in Mont Blanc
- Attach one of the below IIR assessment templates
- Clinical
- Pre-Clinical
- Please attach the investigator's Curriculum Vitae
Checklist for Contracting:
- Complete study synopsis
- Feasibility of study site for confirmed
- Intellectual Property (IP) requirements
- Adverse event reporting to be confirmed
- Safety reporting requirements
- Regulatory requirements
- Milestones and payments to be agreed
- Early termination agreements
- Publication requirements
- Signature from legal sponsor/institution supporting the study
Checklist for Study Conclusion
- Final study report or a final draft for study publication
- Publication (ideally in a peer review journal in a timely fashion)
- Final payment within a year of study completion
Please contact your local point of contact for any concerns and questions throughout the submission process.
Assessment Criteria List
Evaluation Criteria
Please be aware that acceptance is dependent on a number of factors. The most important ones are:
IIR Medical Value
- Medical value of the study – addresses area of medical need unmet
- Alignment with company therapeutic areas of interest
- Value of Scientific output – generates peer reviewed publication
IIR Technical Quality
- Sound study design
- Investigator experience
- Structural feasibility – adequate sample size, appropriate resource outlined in proposal.
- Appropriate compliance with relevant regulations.
*Please note that the approval of studies is dependent on availability of budget
Requirements for Successful Collaboration
Prior to Study Start:
- Plan timelines realistically
- Diligently plan budget based on Fair Market Values and use the “request for financial support of IIR” template to request financial support
- Clarify availability of internal resources
- Ensure study site is appropriately resourced for study feasibility
- Obtain necessary approvals as applicable
- Ensure that submission is complete – take advantage of a pre-check
- Contact legal sponsor/ institution early on
During Study Conduct:
- Changes to the original proposal, including requests for financial support, cannot be changed during study conduct without re-submission and Bayer internal re-assessment of the changed details
- Provide regular updates to Bayer and contact your local point of contact early on with any questions or concerns
- Ensure full documentation
- Send proof of services for initiation of payments
Contact
In case you would like to get in contact with a Bayer representative for questions or clarifications, please submit your request via the support.montblanc@bayer.com.
