The People Behind the Products: Ben Evans

I focus on the development, maintenance, and expansion of TrialScope Intelligence, our global clinical trial regulatory intelligence product. My goal is to ensure that TrialScope Intelligence delivers high-quality, reliable, and actionable content to help our clients navigate the often complex world of clinical trial disclosure regulations.

My main focus is on collaboration with the team to monitor regulatory developments, create content, and continuously enhance TrialScope Intelligence. I also work closely with our product, tech, and commercial teams to ensure that our efforts align with the company goals and client needs.

It's a dynamic mix of research, analysis, strategy, and cross-functional collaboration.

I have an academic background in medical biotechnology and biomedical sciences. I studied for my master's at Warwick University in England. I initially thought I would end up in pharmaceutical laboratory research.

However, my first role after university took me to Brussels, where I lived and worked for a couple of years. This experience introduced me to the world of regulatory affairs and piqued my interest in the strategic and policy aspects of the biopharma industry. Because I came from a science background, it was beneficial for me to gain this new perspective.

During my time in Brussels, I worked at a medical technology trade association. However, I eventually wanted to return to the UK. It was during this time that an opportunity arose with Norstella (Citeline’s parent company), to specialize in clinical trial transparency.

This position allowed me to leverage my regulatory background and policy experience, making it a perfect fit. I eagerly jumped at the opportunity.

My favorite part is firstly that no two days are the same. The cross-functionality aspect and working across departments and contributing to multiple projects is definitely something that I find interesting.

Additionally, I find it engaging to work with a fantastic team of clinical trial disclosure intelligence experts. I enjoy tackling complex challenges together. The focus on people and culture is crucial; we have a supportive and collaborative environment.

While our primary goal is to maintain TrialScope Intelligence as the go-to resource for reliable, up-to-date regulatory disclosure information, I enjoy having broader discussions about where strategic disclosure intelligence is heading.

Mapping out the clinical trial disclosure requirements for nearly every country in the world in TrialScope Intelligence has been a major milestone. From Botswana to China, we have mapped requirements to support global compliance. Currently, TrialScope Intelligence focuses mainly on disclosure requirements; we're starting to expand into other regulatory aspects such as CTA requirements, ethics approvals, and broader clinical trial governance.

Of course, we’re continuously refining our existing content. Disclosure regulations aren't as static as you might expect. It is an evolving landscape, so we've got to stay ahead by monitoring those updates. A couple of countries are going through updates, so it's a case of analyzing them, interpreting them, and being able to review that content as early as possible.

Ironically, for a field focused on disclosure, the requirements themselves are often not very transparent. Or can be quite ambiguous. It's not as you would expect, that clinical trial disclosure health authorities would readily disclose the information. It's not the case at all, and access can be a challenge.

A significant part of my work involves in-depth research and analysis to accurately capture and interpret that information. In interpreting regulations, we come across language barriers, plus there's definitely not any consistent format with global requirements. That’s a challenge in itself.

I enjoy staying active. I'm quite an avid runner. I've also started cycling a lot recently, and I'm an avid swimmer too. I'm looking to complete a triathlon this year to put all those elements together. There's one later in June which I'm training for at the moment.

I really enjoy traveling. A month or so ago I returned from a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina. That was a really good experience; we're trying to plan a couple more trips for this year.

I think a trend we're going to start to see is regarding certain countries enforcing penalties for nondisclosure of clinical trials. Even though not all countries are pushing enforcement, I anticipate a shift due to social pressures, that is, damage to the reputational and brand image of noncompliant companies. That will be key.

We're also starting to see a noticeable shift toward plain language summaries, also known as lay language summaries, for patients. There's a push for more accessibility so patients can understand regulatory information.

Regulations usually do not change overnight. Countries must navigate various challenges, and it typically takes about 12 months for regulations to be enforced. However, we will see how this develops.