Marken currently offers its Direct to/from Patient (DTP/DFP) services in 51 countries. The new nursing services will enable the company to collect a patient’s biological samples in their home and in accordance with clinical protocols.
Services will potentially include intravenous infusion, blood draws including safety lab samples, biologic sampling, such as pharyngeal and oral mucosal swabs, in addition to clinical assessment of vital signs and other mobile-based electronic data collection, according to the company.
Additionally, nurses and patients in the US are able to drop off biological samples at any one of 4,600 The UPS Store locations.
The number of nurses contracted to work with Marken will depend on patient locations, protocol design, number of patients, and the countries in which the trial will take place, explained Christine Noble, senior director, global marketing, Marken.
“We expect that the Marken nursing network will grow rapidly and exponentially in response to the increasing number of trial protocols which are already including DTP/DFP for patients,” Noble added. “This new service will offer more options for patients and sponsors.”
The network will be available to countries where regulators permit DTP and DFP services for patients enrolled in clinical trials, Noble explained, and for a trial in which sponsors have added a DTP/DPF component to the trial protocol.
“Many times, the indication for the trial can drive the need for a DTP/DFP component,” she added
Marken continues to experience growth across Asia, Noble said, and more trials are underway in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and several other countries in the Middle East.
“As more and more countries recognize the need, we expect that the number of countries in which the service can be offered will continue to increase,” she added.
Wes Wheeler, Marken CEO, noted in the release that “24% of pharmaceutical companies are moving to virtual or partially virtual trials and another 33% are expected to start ‘siteless’ trials in the near future.”
“We expect this trend will continue to place a heavy demand for our services,” he said.