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Icon Group has become the first Australian organisation to be awarded two prestigious international certifications, in recognition for its clinical trials program in Australia and New Zealand.
It has received the GCSA Global Quality Standard for Clinical Research Sites and silver-level Workforce Process Quality Certification (WPQC).
Both were awarded by the International Accrediting Organization for Clinical Research (IAOCR) after a comprehensive review of Icon's clinical cancer trials.
"I'm extremely proud to be the first Australian clinical trials team to be awarded this internationally-recognised clinical research site certification," said Icon Group Executive Manager for Research, Sophie Mepham.
"It's a testament to Icon's dedication to upholding patient safety and the delivery of a high-quality, comprehensive clinical trials program."
Icon is Australia's largest dedicated cancer care provider, with more than 35 centres across the country, often co-located with private hospitals.
The GCSA assessment team's feedback highlighted Icon's strong business partnership qualities and commitment to evaluating and improving its clinical trials program, which offers new treatment options to patients while developing advanced therapies.
The WPQC certification investigated the quality of clinical research workforce processes and frameworks.
Icon operates the largest private cancer clinical trials program in Australia
"Research is part of Icon's DNA, and our proven robust governance, processes and systems allow us to bring clinical trials to more places globally, while ensuring we maintain the highest standards of international quality across a broad geographical footprint," Ms Mepham said.
"Thank you to the IAOCR team for their unwavering commitment to global research standards and to my research team for their hard work and dedication in achieving this international status."
The research team will now aim to implement the recommendations from the audit and work towards gold accreditation across Icon's Australia, New Zealand and Singapore clinical trials operations.
Sarah Everitt, Chief Quality and Client Officer at IAOCR and GCSA, praised Icon's "impressive work and leadership".
"The team was responsive, enthusiastic, and there were clear roles and responsibilities within the organisation that made the certification process streamlined and efficient and made Icon a pleasure to assess," she said.
"It was clear the leadership team has invested a significant amount of time in developing a specific Icon Group identity and culture – this approach is paying dividends in the organisation."
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