Medidata launches diversity program for sponsors and CROs

Medidata has rolled out a diversity program designed to help sponsors and CROs make drug studies more inclusive.

The Dassault Systemes-owned trial tech firm shared details of the program last week, explaining the aim is to address systemic and clinical barriers that can hinder a diverse range of individuals from participating in clinical trials.

Anthony Costello, CEO, Patient Cloud, Medidata, said “Facilitating more diverse participation in clinical trials is a critical and complex challenge, not only for the life sciences industry but for the patients and caregivers participating in the trials.

“The Medidata Diversity Program, the most comprehensive solution to date, will help sponsors and CROs move from awareness about a diversity challenge to planning and solving for it as a standard and sustainable part of their clinical development programs.”

The program will combine Medidata’s AI and cloud technologies to create a system that helps sponsors and clinical research organizations (CROs) execute diversity action plans.

It will also leverage the firm’s collaboration with Circuit Clinical – a national network of sites focused on diverse patient populations with localized investigators, trained on its decentralized clinical trial technology.

In April last year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) introduced its Draft Guidance on Diversity Plans. The aim is to improve the enrollment of underrepresented populations in trials by encouraging CROs and sponsors to create a framework to define and meet specific diversity goals.

The launch of the diversity program is in keeping with other initiatives Medidata has undertaken in recent years. In December last year, for example, the firm rolled out a mobile app designed to speed study start-up and improve participant experience.

Similarly in February last year Medidata partnered with Parexel in a bid to improve patient access to remote studies in keeping with growing industry interest in decentralized study models.

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