BioPharma Services Inc.

This is less a review of BioPharma as a whole as I believe their sleeping arrangements are abhorrent and quite similar to a Thai prison. HOWEVER, most of the staff are so incredibly lovely, kind and helpful. I’ve also had the pleasure of speaking with a recruiter by the name of Kim Dancy a couple of times and have never received such incredible service over the phone in my life. She’s truly a pleasure to speak with and gives the impression that she cares about her clients and is having a great day. I wish this company made more of an effort to prioritize their volunteers time by ensuring time management practices are followed. Last time I was there I stayed 2 hours after my expected exit because they were running behind scheduled and made me wait for a pregnancy test when I would have received my compensation regardless. All in all I would recommend, but there are points for improvement.

I appreciated being a volunteer here. I really recommend BioPharma to any one who wishes to enroll in volunteering (clinical trials)

They have been paying cheaper and cheaper by the day. Clinical trials may have requirements for subjects to fast for 8 to 10 hours before dosing of trial medication. Check-in time usually is around 3pm. In order to do well in the check-in blood draw assessment, subjects are advised not to have breakfast. That means don't eat much after midnight the night before. So from midnight to 3pm check-in, is already 15 hours without food. The company used to offer a full dinner around 5: 30pm and a snack of a sandwich around 8pm. After the pandemic lockdown is over, the full dinner has become a sandwich and the snack has become a small serving of yogurt. Many subjects have difficulty sleeping due to hunger. After that yogurt snack, subjects are required to fast in-house another 15 hours before the next serving of food. That is a total of 30 hours with only one sandwich and a yogurt snack in the middle. As subjects, we dared not tell anyone that we were suffering from headaches and dizziness due to hunger in fear of getting replaced by standby volunteers. When volunteers tell the staffs about this, the response is, we cannot do anything about this current study you are in but we will tell the people in-charge or nutritionist. These food planners has never improved. We can say they improved negatively.

Temperature control is always in the hands of the staffs and how hot they feel in their laboratory coats walking around. Subjects are not allow to walk around after dosing. It is understandable that the staffs feel hot and subjects sitting down feels cold. Can the staff wear thinner fabric clothes so they are not getting too hot. On the dosing day morning, the temperature of the rooms were usually freezing cold. Is the expectation of room temperature around 22-24°C too much to ask?

Payment for a phase one clinical trial used to be between $5000-$7000 Canadian for a five-day stay. In the United States, phase one clinical trials are usually paying above US$10,000. At Biopharma, payment is now down to $1,300. Standbys used to get paid $350 for an overnight stay a couple of months ago but they are down to $250 now. At MDS in Montreal, standbys used to be paid $1,500 for a two-night stay.

I write this to let people know how the standard of treatment of human rights have evolved. I hope this comparison is being made known to all.

Have no issues. Drug studies are run well. Professional and consistent. Expected experience for drug study environment.

Information about sutdy requirements are frequently wrong or unclear. Make sure to check everything or it will just be a waste of time.

I think I passed the medical. I get a medical by a doctor and get my blood tested. Right now without a Doctor, this probably the next best thing.

I'd just like to thank the recruitment operator at biopharma Simona also known as 'Lovely'.

Because of a past technicality, there was an issue with the registration process of a current study I had been attempting to apply for.

Without beings asked, Lovely went well beyond her professional mandate to remediate it and went as far as to go back and forth between her manager and myself (4x) regarding the problem. This took place over the course of 2 days. All so that I could move forward with the registration process!

She did not have to do any of this but went well beyond the call of duty and explained where the situation was at every specific moment.

Simone's other name 'Lovely' could not suit her personality more nor better describe the experience in dealing with her.

Biopharma is lucky to have such a dedicated front line member of the team.

Thanks for your attention Simone.

E. D. C

Spent some time with Biopharma Services Inc on the phone and they are very friendly - they treat everybody really well.
Recruitment department was super helpful with all of my questions - the lady's name just happened to be Lovely.:)

Experience during a study as expected.

However, they didn't provide the final check at check out since there was a follow up call. After that, the staff has been refusing to mail me this one! I am from Montreal. No way I'm driving over Toronto to get it. First time this is happening to me. Been 4 months and I'm still leaving messages to the study coordinator + staff. For 2 months (until this review) there was no call back to convince someone to mail it to me. They finally reached out and told me they mailed it. Been 2 months and haven't received it! What a joke!

Oh oh, wanna know the "funniest", they dared just calling me for another study! I haven't even been paid for the previous one. The girl one the phone was rude & kept changing the infos she was giving me. The amounts kept changing (500$ trial week, but then she sayss 750$). No return visit, then suddenly yes, there is one the week after. (All for same amount!) Ridiculous! Shame on you! This is getting more and more less professional.

Update: Still haven't been paid! They told me to send an email to someone in charge, NEVER GOT A REPLY!

Update: You think I haven't called over +20 times, always leaving messages to everyone I could? ! Including so many managers? ! One even told me he mailed it to me. I never received. I called back, there was no mention it was mailed and the new manager was refusing to mail it to me.

Who do I need to talk to? Be clear here with a name.

Discrimination practiced by staff.
Incompetent lazy services, Volunteers treated awful.

To Whom It May Concern:

I felt compelled to write a review-something that is not easily done by me- but after interacting with one of your recruiting employees - a Simona (Lovely) - I had to ask her name after speaking to her.

What a delightful and courteous lady. She took the time to answer all my concerns -allowed me to write all the answers to my numerous questions about the drug and details of the study.

Her laughter is infectious and I had to tell her so.

What a wonderful ambassador to your organization and I sincerely hope I will one day have the pleasure to meet her face to face.

Thank you for having her in your employment

Keep up the sunshine you spread Ms. Lovely

Bio Pharma is a very comfortable place for participating in a clinical trial! The staff is very professional and very skilled. I love dealing with “Lovely” in the Recruiting Dept, who makes things much easier for me as a participant pursuing studies. She is always so very pleasant and so **helpful** with all of the information that I seek, or that she shares about studies. But it’s her excellent follow-through that I appreciate most. When Lovely tells you that she’ll get back to you with information about studies, she GETS BACK. I just love her efficiency and her calm, humorous nature, and I’m so glad she’s around!

Interesting? I was told my height and weight were the reasons why I was not qualified during my screening process. What is in comprehensible too me was that my Height and weight were given over the phone. Which I was not an issue then. And in knowing this previously too my screening I was referred to this study. If knowing my height and weight would have been a problem, then why refer my to this particular study? I wasted time and money as well as put over other important appointments. This was a serious inconvenience to me.

This is a great place to get involved in, can be a little scary, but there is an abundance of information available about each study that gives power to the people to make informed decisions. Everyone is polite and courteous and I found it surprisingly, given the preconceived biases, to actually be a very dignified way to make extra cash. Everybody is great that works there, but Jenny is the best! Shes so cool:)

As someone fairly new with clinical trials, the recruitment team and specifically - Lovely made the on boarding experience a smooth one for me! She answered my many questions, multiple phone calls, and last minute nervous inquiries with direct and clear information leaving me space to make my own informed decisions on proceeding or not.

I was referred to BioPharma by another study volunteer solely based on their positive feedback of Lovely! I've since referred 2 people whom had similar great things to say about her and would confidently recommend this clinic to those wanting to give clinical trials a try.

STILL HAVENT GET PAID FOR A STUDY IN JANUARY!

Have been calling more than a dozen time. Study manager not calling me back, or the secretary says they mailed it when its not actually the case because i never received it and when i called again, they admitted not having send out this one!

The study is still ongoing. Be careful!
The last thing is a phone appointment and only after that you get paid. They were suppose to mail me this one since the beginning as i don't live close by and wouldn't drive there simply to get it.

Now, 7 months later and still nothing!

The staff is great at this location and more experienced then any company I've worked with. There are great recruiters over the phone who give extensive information. Gurtej is the best as I found him very knowledgable and patient. I can usually reach them very quickly and they do not rush you. They do a good job answering questions and providing explanations. I can tell quality health care is important and prioritized in their services.

Very outdated facility. No COVID screening besides asking a few questions. Horrible mattresses, old scratchy bedding and no sound barrier in the building. Walls are paper thin. You won’t get any rest but if it’s short study it’s easy money. Food is horrible but was expected. Staff are loud but most are pleasant.

Locked me out for a study (even though their was a family/home emegency) I didn't even participate in refused to give me

I am fully satisfied with the service provided by Ms. Simona (Lovely), Recruiting department. She is very knowledgeable and have skills to deal with the people. She explains and provides good knowledge when asked about something. She is very kind and interact with others in a very positive way and is welcoming.
#Ms. Simona (Lovely), Recruiting department

This company is the worst and the lowest of the lowest. Totally unorganized and the staff could care less. Need a TOTAL overall to keep up with other similar companies. Disgusting!

A bit disappointed.the staff were all very nice had no issues with that. Just wish the phone screening was better so their was no time wasted going. I applied for the study recently went in got tested everything was going good until I told them I passed out ONE time giving blood. However that one time was almost 4 years ago and I had to fast for 24 hours as well as I had stared at the blood the entire time being drawn. By the 5th vial that's when I slightly passed out. It wasn't for long, maybe a few seconds and woke up immediately. So with that being said, they could of asked on the phone if I've ever passed out before. I really don't think I would pass out, I've since 4 years ago, have given blood at least once or twice a year and have had no issues. I wish they could of just took my blood today and I wouldn't of passed out and it would of been fine. Really wanted to participate in this study and future studies but now it seems like I will never be allowed to?

They have no regard for privacy, and providing proper informed consent. They place you in a room with other participants where your personal health information is disclosed, and neglect consenting to remove your personal information when withdrawing from studies. This is a breach in research ethics. They also advertise studies falsely, and do not adaquetely screen eligibility over the phone. Staff mocks and ridicules you for these concerns.

Staff are nice, but facility is not very clean, and often the studies are very disorganized.