Called NetPRO, the Boston, US-based company claims this new system will allow researchers to access a larger global patient population, and could consequently save money by reducing trial costs for sponsors.
Phil Lee, president and CEO of PHT, said: “NetPro is an extremely important eClinical solution, as it makes ePROs available to a much broader audience.
“It enables researchers to easily collect high-quality patient-reported outcome data directly from patients across the clinical development lifecycle to better track the efficiency of new therapies.”
Data review
According to PHT, what makes the NetPRO system different is its reliance on patients to provide their own data, which is then sent to the company’s proprietary StudyWorks backend system and web portal for review, management and analysis by trial stakeholders.
The browser can be accessed using any internet-connected equipment such as smartphones, iPads and netbooks.
The company claims its new system offers a raft of benefits for trial sponsors, including improved patient retention due to simplified data collection, ease of availability, increased confidentiality, and increased brand exposure for trial participants and supervisors.
Comprehensive solutions
Vice president of marketing for PHT, Sheila Rochhio, claimed NetPRO demonstrated PHT’s “market leadership and innovation” in offering what she described as a comprehensive range of ePRO solutions for sponsors.
“Our customers are interested in having options for collecting ePROs using patient-owned technology and NetPRO meets that market need,” she said.
“NetPRO significantly reduces the trial start-up timelines and costs associated with ePRO systems and makes ePRO available to a broader set of researchers and patient populations.”
The system has already met ePRO system requirements in the US, as set forth in the FDA’s PRO Guidance and Draft eSource Guidance documents, which encourage sponsors to collect electronic data directly from patients.
PHT says given the choice, more and more clinical professionals would choose to use the internet to collect ePRO data for large studies.