Worldwide Clinical Trials has teamed up with decentralized trial tech firm Science 37 citing a desire to make it easier for patients to take part in drug research.
The partnership – financial terms of which were not provided – will see Worldwide use Science 37’s clinical trial Operating System (OS), which the firm claims can accelerate recruitment, boost retention rates and enhance participant diversity.
The deal will also see Worldwide join a network of CROs to which the Los Angeles-based technology firm will provide “training, and commercial support to successfully deliver decentralized clinical studies at scale.”
WCT senior vice president Jeff Zucker told us the partnership was part of a wider effort to focus on the needs of research participants.
“In addition to site-based studies, Worldwide Clinical Trials has integrated several components of DCTs in recent years as we’ve explored ways to make it easier for patients to participate in clinical trials. For example, we offer via partners home nursing, remote monitoring, direct-to-patient drug shipment, electronic clinical outcomes assessment, and electronic patient-reported outcomes.
“Our partnership with Science 37 expands these capabilities by enabling the additional flexibility of virtual sites for clinical trials. This new full-service option is another step towards patient-centricity that will not only benefit our sponsors but more importantly their patients.”
Decentralized demand
COVID-19 accelerated the industry’s shift towards decentralized trials according to Zucker, who told us demand for such studies is likely to continue as the pandemic recedes.
“Covid-19 served as an adoption accelerator - and we don’t anticipate that we’ll go back. Thanks to the evolving regulatory environment and increased telehealth in the clinical setting we are finally seeing decentralized techniques come to fruition at scale to better meet patients’ needs.
“The industry and patients expect the continued use of decentralized techniques and approaches leading to increased agile (or hybrid) clinical trial designs. This is especially important for our clinical trials with smaller patient populations such as those focused on Rare Diseases, as you may have patients spread across the globe making a virtual site option the best for swift enrolment.
Science 37
Science 37 claims to have conducted more than 95 decentralized trials and engaged more than 366,000 patients since it was founded in 2014.
According to its website the firm has worked with companies like Amgen, GSK, Genentech, Roche, Johnson & Johnson, and Novartis among others.
Prior to partnering with Worldwide Science 37 teamed up with clinical trial services firms CMIC and 3H Medi Solution to expand use of its technology in Japan and the surrounding markets.
And in April last year Science 37 expanded its decentralized trial partnership with PPD, a few months before the CRO was acquired by Thermo Fisher.