UBC teams with Tasso on blood sample collection for Phase IV studies

Blood sample services firm Tasso has teamed with United BioSource to set up a sample collection and analysis service for post approval studies.

The collaboration will combine Tasso’s range of devices for at-home, clinical-grade blood sample collection and analysis capabilities with UBC’s late-stage trial offering, including its digital recruitment and engagement technologies.

The aim is to offer a solution for biopharmaceutical companies seeking to improve participant retention and compliance, boost patient engagement, and enroll more diverse patient populations in decentralized post-approval studies according to Tasso.

CEO Ben Casavant said, “the collaboration will not only provide sponsors with the high-quality data they require but will also drive much-needed improvement in the patient experience and trial participant diversity.”

For Aaron Berger, Head of Evidence Development, UBC, the partnership is about making late-stage studies as streamlined as possible.

“With today’s rapidly evolving post-approval drug development requirements, there’s a real need to help sponsors efficiently, effectively, and safely execute and manage late-stage and real-world evidence generation research programs that meet regulatory and payer requirements and support their product commercialization objectives.”

He added, “our partnership with Tasso allows us to collectively provide flexible, integrated and innovative offerings that improve the patient experience and advance decentralized research methods.”

UBC has been building its late-stage research offering this year. In March, for example it teamed up with Thread, HREAD, a decentralized research and consulting services provider, to launch SitePlus, a post-approval research model.

The service offers direct-to-patient recruitment strategies, enables inclusive enrolment of diverse patient populations and, according to UBC, reduces the burden of patients and providers participating in late-stage research.

Also, the deal follows just weeks after UBC spoke about the importance of RWE evidence in trials of treatments for conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. The ability to gather information remotely from patients post approval is a key element of any such research.

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