ICON, Phase Forward, etrials ink eclinical deals
etrials has scored 10 new contracts in the latest stage of the
eclinical movement.
Irish contract research organisation (CRO) ICON has named Phase Forward as its second preferred provider of eclinical software in a bid to provide more variety for its customers.
ICON already has a similar arrangement in place with Medidata for its Rave solution - and will continue to do so - but offering Phase Forward's InForm platform as well will cater for those clients who prefer to use this instead, Tom O'Leary, global head of Data Management at ICON told Outsourcing-Pharma.com.
The software programs offered by the two companys are broadly similar, but some sponsors may prefer to use one over the other because they already using it or it may integrate more effectively with their current in-house IT set-up, said O'Leary.
ICON said it will soon undertake a technology transfer, bringing the full implementation and management of the software in-house. The initial length of the new partnership is three years.
Commenting on the penetration of eclinical software in the clinical trials industry, O'Leary said that he is seeing an exponential growth in the adoption of the technology.
"In general, a large number of client proposals now specify the use of eclinical software in their trials, where as 12 months ago, this was not the case," said O'Leary.
"We've moved past the tipping point of momentum for this new technology - it is taking paper-based processes and bringing them online, allowing real-time collaboration. It is proving to be a lot faster."
Challenges remain, however, such as organisational and role changes within the companies who adopt the software on a large scale and these are some of the teething problems that the industry is currently experiencing.
Meanwhile, etrials Worldwide has announced that it entered into ten new contracts with four separate CROs in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Seven of the ten contracts are with sponsor biopharma firms that etrials has not worked with previously - a doubling of its new business wins for 2005, said the firm.
The contracts include two Phase I, four Phase II, three Phase III trials and one Phase IV trial with up to 800 subjects and 120 sites per trial. Seven will operate in the US and Western Europe and three will be initiated globally.
Nearly all of the trials will use electronic data capture (EDC) technology, and the majority include a second product, either a clinical trial management system (CTMS), interactive voice response (IVR) or electronic patient diary (eDiary) technology, the company said.
In addition, two CROs have initiated contracts to engage in a full technology transfer program, meaning that a full implementation of etrials software will be carried out onsite at the CRO.
