Almac launches online system to manage drug supply in trials

Almac has launched an online tool which it says will increase accuracy and save money in managing the supply of clinical trial supplies.

The SupplyTraQ is an extension of Almac’s configurable and customizable IXRS clinical trial platform, said Director of Product Management, Richard Wagner, with data entered into the online system used to automate the accountability and reconciliation of clinical trial drug supplies across sites and depots.

He told Outsourcing-pharma.com “a number of web-based drug reconciliation tools are available, but not all provide a comprehensive solution for accountability, reconciliation, returns and destruction.”

However, SupplyTraQ allows users to “create their own queries to find and resolve discrepancies quickly and can be alerted in real time when non-compliance issues arise,” aiding accuracy and providing a cheaper alternative to manual drug supply management processes.

“As part of a clinical trial’s closeout, drug must be accounted for, reconciled, and in some cases returned or destroyed,” he continued, and “SupplyTraQ is a software component of IXRS that is designed to make the trial administration process easier, more accurate and more efficient.

“SupplyTraQ can be easily configured to adapt to different trial designs and needs, and due to its advanced design, adding SupplyTraQ to a clinical trial does not significantly impact deployment timeframes.”

IVR/IWR

Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) and Interactive Web Recognition (IWR) systems are “a necessity” for clinical trial management, electronically controlling the amount of accountability and control that is required by regulatory bodies, as well as the variation in processes by participating sites, according to Wagner.

The IXRS IVR/IWR technology was developed by Almac for such purposes. However, Wagner said such systems are “best left to companies who specialise in trial management systems vs. those whose core competency is R&D.

“By virtue of their wide experience across sponsor companies and deep functional specialization, the best service providers have actually developed greater expertise in their particular niche than sponsor companies. This should translate into transformative advances that improve quality and speed time to market.”