Outsourcing-pharma.com spoke with Firecrest spokesman Nigel Hughes at DIA 2011, who explained how the launch of the iPad compatible version of the platform fits with the firms core focus on making clinical trials easier to conduct.
It means that, for an investigator or coordinator, the entire trial is in their hands ready for when they need it most, which is five minutes before they see a patient. He explained that, based on Firecrests research, investigators are more interested in the specific procedures required by a particular trial and where to report data in the case report form (CRF) than they are in the high end science detailed in study protocols.
For sponsors there are benefits too according to Hughes, who claimed that the software can cut data queries by up to 50 per cent and protocol deviations by 28 per cent and, anecdotally based on the 200 plus trials that have used the system, accelerate patient recruitment.