by Dr. Bill Gluck, Vice President, Clinical Knowledge
For those of you familiar with Monday Night football, the segment ‘C’mon Man!’ is one that has some applicability to the pharmaceutical industry. In the segment, questionable aspects of the game are called into focus, presenting a definitive perspective that calls out the offender with a hearty ‘C’mon Man!’
As recently reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, roughly 30% of trial results have not been reported to the government site clinicaltrials.gov (see footnotes 1,2). All trials are required, by law, to post results to that website. 30%.
Clinical trials and scientific research has been a cornerstone of new treatment development. The unspoken rule in academic institutions has always been ‘publish or perish.’ Nowhere is it more important than in the scientific and medical research communities to share and build upon each other’s positive and negative results to address the ongoing advancement of disease and medical conditions. What is going on!? C’mon man!
Clinical trials are one way we can advance our knowledge of how potential medications will work. Study participants subject themselves to the unknown when they participate in studies, all for the benefit of the general public. It was not until 1997 when the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) that the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) the information registry clinicaltrials.gov was initiated; the website went live in 2000. The FDAMA establishes, by law, a registry for all federally and privately funded clinical trials of potential new treatments for serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions. The law also established penalties for non-compliance.(see footnote 3)
But compliance with the law has seemingly not had any impact on the industry as a whole. In today’s environment of distrust of the industry especially with regards to sharing information about side effects of clinical results one would think, or almost assume, that compliance to clinicaltrials.gov would be used as a means to re-build trust and image. It is a shame that we as the public tend to hear about potential safety and effectiveness issues through the court systems.
What is almost incredulous about this situation is that in 2004 clinicaltrials.gov won the Innovations in American Government Awards as the Nation’s preeminent program devoted to recognizing and promoting excellence and creativity in the public sector. The program highlights exemplary models of government innovation and advances efforts to address the Nation’s most pressing public concerns (see footnote 4). In order to address the lack of the industry’s compliance HHS has proposed new rules/regulations to the current requirements (a summary can be found at ).
In a time where general perception is that the government cannot get anything done right, they have hit a home run with a good tool with the right intentions and the good of the public in mind; the industry does not seem to be playing the same game……C’mon man!
by Laurence P. Birch, Chairman and CEO, DATATRAK
As the power in Washington shifts between parties, the discussion in health care remains the same. How should we, as a nation, address health care, both from the perspective of the physician and the researcher?
The Affordable Care Act, often referred to as Obamacare, continues to be debated. Republicans, with their new majority status in Washington and in many states, are committed to getting it repealed, even though a Presidential Veto is certain. As CEO of a Life Sciences Technology company, I know firsthand how important it is to get meaningful treatment to patients, and am hopeful that as the program matures, regardless of what changes are implemented, that the impact on drug and device development is improved. Additionally, now that we are a few years into the ACA I am hopeful that several issues that have arisen can now be quickly addressed with bipartisan support.
For example, one of the elements affecting the research industry is the added tax on medical devices. The lower profit potential for the companies who are taking the risk of development and the additional cost to the patient is affecting both innovation and adoption. Repealing this tax seems the very obvious choice. Though the price tag is a big one – $29 Billion in lost tax revenue over 10 years – the cost will be offset by both improved device company earnings, increased provider profits through broader device usage and of course, reduced morbidity and quality of life for the patients.
Clinical research costs continue to rise and the research companies who pay for the process are often ridiculed for the expense of the final approved treatment. It is important to remember that there are many failures for each approved treatment. In fact, only 1 in every 5000 drugs/devices actually survive the rigorous clinical trial process and enter the market—by some estimates that means that the total cost of innovation for just one drug/device to enter the market is over $5 Billion!
As the lame duck session wraps up and our newly elected officials gather in Washington in 2015, the need to support health care efforts in our country must take center stage. While there are many critical topics to discuss, including tax reform, immigration, and international security issues, the health and well-being of Americans must certainly be urgently addressed. It is my hope that our new leadership will put politics aside and truly focus on the efforts of researchers, sponsors, CROs, and the service providers who support them to speed innovation, bringing meaningful treatments to market; improving the lives of real people and using their new found profits to reinvest in further innovation—-the virtuous cycle of progress!
In 2000 a movie entitled ‘Pay it Forward’ was released and it started a social revolution of sorts. Not only has the concept of doing a good deed and asking for nothing in return been popular, it has been a phenomena that has continued for many years. Within our industry, the ‘Pay it Forward’ concept has taken hold.
Companies within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries, along with service providers, have embraced the ‘Pay it Forward’ ideal. I recently read an article about large companies like Pfizer and AstraZeneca and CROs like Quintiles and Parexel and other companies working with a non-profit organization, the Alliance for Clinical Research Excellence and Safety (ACRES) to share technology and services free-of-charge with clinical research sites. The focus of all this cooperation is to streamline and further research to benefit us all.
The ACRES initiative places networking technology at clinical research sites and other key study participants such as IRB’s, so all participants can access and share trial information quickly across the network. Through these efforts, Sponsors, sites, IRBs, CROs and regulators can share data, and in real-time, assess feasibility of sites to find patients for clinical trials. They can also assess the availability of well-qualified doctors to act as clinical investigators, thereby streamlining the trial initiation process.
ACRES has also been able to address another need within the industry – the provision of a centralized repository for documents required by FDA and other worldwide regulators regarding investigator qualification documentation¹. Rather than collect these data for each trial conducted from the same investigators, ACRES members will be able to access this data from one place. Member companies in ACRES donate the software and technology needed to make this idea a reality. The efficiencies to be gained using these collaborative efforts are far-reaching. For example, if Investigators need to make an update to any of their documentation, they only need to update the information in one place rather than the various repositories or databases maintained by the various companies they work with. Companies too will be able to maintain closer control and the most up-to-date information on the investigators. How far this level of collaboration can go is yet to be seen.
Other collaborations have also taken hold such as the sharing of clinical data from trials that have not met specific milestones, and by sharing this data; there is the potential that other uses or therapeutic indications might be discovered.
The ‘Pay it Forward’ concept is not new within our industry. In fact, innovative companies who are focused on delivering meaningful treatment to those in need as quickly and as safely as possible have given their innovative technology, free of charge, to support the development, from the initial concept to the actual cure.
DATATRAK International, Inc., was one of the first companies to provide their EDC application free-of-charge to educational institutions. In 2015 Durham Technical Community College and DATATRAK will celebrate a key milestone of collaboration: Durham Tech in 2000 established one of the first clinical trials research programs awarding a certificate in clinical data management in the country, and in 2005 they worked with DATATRAK to incorporate DATATRAK’s commercially available unified EDC application into the teaching curriculum at no cost to the institution. Students have been able to gain hands-on experience and as a result, have an immediate impact on their clinical trials following graduation, safely accelerating the research. Other companies have now followed suit offering their commercial applications to be incorporated into specialized institutional curriculum.
As we are faced with increasingly more difficult health challenges, both locally and worldwide, we will need to rely on collaborations for the greater good and maintain the ‘Pay it Forward’ revolution, which all started with a movie.
Unfortunately information is also sometimes lost if data are collected using different methods and later mapped into a common standard – trying to force a square peg into a round-hole syndrome. Standardization done correctly and involving experts like that of the initial organization of the combined working group of the EUGCR and MedTech Europe has a great chance to succeed and is positioned to help enhance future device and medical technology innovation through the use of standards, which can only benefit us all…the first steps have been taken and we will all be better served in helping this important working group achieve its objectives.
By Laurence P. Birch, Chairman and CEO, DATATRAK
I read a discussion on LinkedIn recently where someone asked for feedback on eClinical solutions to the community of members. The initial question focused on market share in the industry, by company.
There is no doubt that when it comes to market share, the perception is Bigger is Better. Makes sense, on some level, that the solution that sells the most has to be the best.
But that simply isn’t true.
Sure, if you select either of the most purchased platforms in the eClinical industry, namely Oracle InForm or Medidata Rave, you won’t get fired. But if you have the foresight to break out of that rut and actually consider the benefits of other solutions, and yes, namely, DATATRAK ONE®, you may actually get promoted.
The reality is in most industries – I would suggest nearly all – technology-driven solutions are transforming productivity and improving efficiency. Industries from manufacturing to music are not only open to but clamoring for new technology to resolve both old and new pain points. And the companies that are doing that are winning, and shaking up the old standbys. The end result? More efficient and effective processes from all suppliers in the industry and a better outcome for their users.
Looking at the eClinical industry, new solutions are making real differences to reduce the time and cost required to bring meaningful treatments to those in need. But our industry is slow to change—why? I think because companies are so weary of the complications and difficulty of using the current systems, that they are afraid that change will be risky and hard to manage—and the big players promote that change will be very, very difficult. Think about that folks; marketing through fear is not a good business model. IBM did that for years until customers realized that it simply wasn’t true. The perception that change is difficult and expensive in the eClinical space is equally misplaced. The reality is just the opposite, at least with DATATRAK.
I won’t go in to how we do it here, but our approach to Clinical Trial Data Collection and Management IS better: we DO remove complexities. Our solutions are SIMPLE to use – and that means faster, easier training too!
The core of our ease-of-use and training is our Unified Platform. There are no required data moves, no integration between solutions, with all data visible on every solution, all the time. For example, when trial changes occur, and they do, the UNIFIED nature of our platform allows for faster, less expensive validation. These features deliver real benefits –driving cost and complexity OUT of the trial – and improving patient safety. If our goal as an industry is to allow people to live longer and better lives through successful drug development, shouldn’t that start with the safety of the patient in the drug trials? We at DATATRAK think so—and we know you do too.
We are making headway changing the perception of the industry. Those who have had the foresight to look beyond the top 2 providers and move to DATATRAK have had great results, and more of our clients are moving from trial-by-trial to enterprise agreements. Fully 100% of our clients use 2 or more DATATRAK solutions, and 67% use 3 or more. They are experiencing the benefits of the Unified Platform – something the top 2 can’t offer.
DATATRAK ONE® UX is a GLOBAL platform and being used around the world; we are a leading eClinical solutions and services provider with growing business in all trial phases with all types of clinical trials. We have embraced CDISC standards and our executive team has over 100+ years of life sciences experiences, with a deep understanding of clinical research that we have leveraged to build a truly superior solution to address the needs of clinical trials.
So come on over. Sit in on a demo. We guarantee you will see the rewards are great if you look past the top 2.
Industry after industry, there are many examples of how hyper-connected consumers and social media are changing businesses and forcing entire ecosystems to adapt to the new paradigm. The drug and device development industry is set for dramatic change to realize time and cost savings. Those that are able will lead in productivity, reducing the cost to deliver meaningful treatment to the world.
Every company must be studying how Mobile, Social, Cloud and Big Data will revolutionize – or marginalize – their business. The explosive growth in these areas will have a dramatic impact on drug and device development, and time will tell if regulatory agencies, CROs and Pharma can respond quickly enough.
Wearable Technology is defining the next wave of mobile health. For the clinical trials industry, the rapid growth of low-cost wearable health monitors for the consumer market is a fantastic avenue for identifying potential patients and gathering huge volumes of data spanning years of an individual’s life. The game changer is the ease of data collection – just snap on a wristband or tag onto your clothing and you are collecting data.
Self-measurement and tracking of personal habits will surely provide clinical researchers much needed data about the health history of patients. However, the next frontier for pharma companies and clinical research organizations is to tame the vast landscape of social media. As more patients turn to the online communities for support and information about clinical trials available in their area, companies need to find a way to respond within the scope of the current rules and regulations.
The best Cloud-based solutions in the market today are scalable, secure, fast and configurable – that’s right configurable. In the clinical trials industry, enterprises need to carefully evaluate vendors to determine if every installation is a customized deployment or if it is truly a cloud-based solution that will enable your business to scale.
For patients in a clinical trial, the potential to capture nearly unlimited data about their mood or daily food intake during the study by having the user snap a quick picture of each meal changes the landscape of data analysis for clinical trials – pushing the envelope of Big Data significantly over the next several years.
In the clinical research industry, a consortium of pharmaceutical companies has formed a not-for-profit effort, Project Data Sphere, to share and analyze de-identified, patient-level data from late-stage comparative studies to be analyzed. The hope is that with access to historical clinical trial data more efficient clinical trials can be designed, reducing the cost and accelerating the speed of finding meaningful treatment. Leveraging this dormant data is one example of how the clinical research industry can use the powerful techniques used in Big Data analytics to actively address the safe acceleration of clinical trials.
The ability of the industry to adopt these advancements, and others we aren’t even imagining, is the real question. Certainly a deeper understanding of the benefits, and pitfalls, of these technologies must be well understood and delivered not by technology experts alone, but by industry leaders who have a deep understanding of the needs of clinical trials and the technology. Without expertise in both areas, the true potential of technology to transform the clinical trials industry will be only partially realized.
Each Manager is made up of columns and rows that pertain to statuses. Within these columns, we now have a color-coded progress bar. Each progress bar is color coded to indicate where you are in the process of data entry and cleaning; if you hover your mouse over the progress bar it will provide you with a percentage of completion. The colored portions of the progression bars can also be clicked to drill down to a more specific Manager. The Subject Manager links will redirect to the Form Manager. The Form Manager links will redirect to the Question Manager. These links cut down my time filtering for data and make me more efficient in my daily tasks.
Filters can be used to store any of the components of the Managers that you do not wish to view, and it allows you to save your search and filter settings for future use. With many other systems, I am bombarded with statuses and other information that I do not need during my daily study maintenance. I normally would have to scan through and disregard the given information that I do not need. Now, I can easily customize these tables to only provide what I need.
Here is where my favorite upgrade comes in – the Drag & Drop Functionality. Not only can I make customizations to meet my needs, DATATRAK has made the customization process incredibly user friendly. With the Drag & Drop Functionality, the columns can be arranged and rearranged within the Manager table and the unused columns moved to the Search table where they can still be used as Filters. The column will retain any filter and sort settings while freeing up space in the table itself. All the user has to do is hover the mouse over the column name until the cursor changes to a 4-way arrow. Then you just click and drag the column to another portion of the Manager table or to the Search table (see Below).
By Niki Kutac, Director, Product Management
Over the past decade we have drawn attention to the issues inherent in the frequent practice of merging or integrating eClinical products. However, because major competing vendors almost uniformly utilize an acquisition strategy to expand their product offerings, clients are led to believe that the resulting costs and complications are unavoidable. It is often difficult to change the public perception of inefficiency from a cost to be absorbed, to a problem to be fixed. DATATRAK discovered and addressed it almost ten years ago.
Giving a Name to the Solution
We have spoken often on the glaring inefficiencies that product integration has brought into the clinical trials space, and how DATATRAK through proper planning has avoided them. The DATATRAK ONE® Unified Platform removes complexities in clinical trials, so all solutions work seamlessly together. That’s what we refer to as the Unified Platform.The innovative nature of DATATRAK ONE® is precisely why we differentiate our products by describing them as Unified rather than integrated.
Unfortunately the meaning ‘unified’ is often muddied in our industry. Our competitors have generally engaged in the practice of acquiring and integrating new products in an effort to create a full offering of eClinical software. When we say unified, we mean something very specific.
We built, rather than bought, our products. Our system operates off a single database, providing a true Single Source of Truth. We feel that our superior architecture gives us the freedom and agility to improve our software to reflect the needs of our clients; DATATRAK solutions are not bound by the rigid infrastructure endemic to many of our competitors’ solutions inhibited by years of legacy integrations.
Creating the Best Possible Solution
DATATRAK, provider of the first cloud-based solution on the market, had a fully unified EDC and IRT system up and running in 2005. The fact is that from our early beginnings, our products have been built by the industry’s preeminent thought leaders. We did not merely respond to the needs of the market, we anticipated them.
The Unified Future – Today
DATATRAK has developed a truly Unified Platform.
There are many benefits to our Unified Platform. In particular, I draw attention to two items. The first is Lower Total Cost of Ownership. The simple fact that we are a unified eClinical® solution is why our cost of ownership is typically lower than integrated systems. A superior product should save you money. Competitors with an Integrated (and not a unified) product customarily transfer the costs of inefficiency to their customers either directly in terms of price, or indirectly by way of unplanned expenses.
The second is the cost of change, and how it is directly related to the requirement of increased study agility. Clinical trials are conducted in a tumultuous environment, and unplanned challenges can often be the most costly. A proper eClinical suite should allow a client to respond to change quickly and at minimal cost. Having a unified system is what allows DATATRAK to outperform in this capacity. In integrated systems, migration is generally a requirement because disparate systems traditionally use separate database sources. The DATATRAK unified eClinical® system has only one database, so there is no need to perform data migration. Your study is available to work in during a mid-study change, including access to and working in and with casebooks. So your study can implement changes as required while the work of the trial continues. These are some of the benefits of our unified platform available today: DATATRAK ONE®.
The latent benefits in DATATRAK ONE® save both time and money, and these savings are passed on to our customers across the lifecycle of their trials. By having a platform unburdened by legacy integrations, we are left with the freedom to respond to the demands of a rapidly changing clinical landscape. Our system was built by forward-thinking minds. By anticipating the need for a unified platform, we have been able to deftly avoid this arena of complications. While competitors have struggled to piece together Single Sign-on, we will continue to provide innovative, intuitive utilities with unparalleled user configurability. With the exploding costs of clinical research, the industry must look to technology as a source to increase productivity. DATATRAK combined the experience of our Executive Management Team, with over 100+ combined years of Life Sciences experience and a deep understanding of clinical trials, with technology visionaries. Theircombined expertise resulted in a system that addresses the needs of clinical trials.
Unification is, for us, not a feature, but a design philosophy. Our efficiencies of design and levels of reliability cannot be replicated by key competitors today because the choice to build a unified system must be made on Day 1. There was a time not so long ago when the decision-makers in the pharmaceutical industry had to make the hard call to revolutionize the way that we conduct clinical trials. No one will deny that introducing advanced IT to the industry has had profound effects, but this process does not stop at the point solutions of EDC, IRT or CTMS. They are confronted with the new reality that a single end-to-end system, a unified platform, is needed to keep this giant engine running at full steam.
Choices of technology in the coming years will effectively define the efficiency of the industry at large. The choice before you, the decision makers, is this: “In whom do you place your trust, the market-leaders who appear to only now address the issue manufactured by their own short-sighted business moves, or the vendor that anticipated these needs, from the beginning of the EDC market?” You can buy in to the promises of a unified future tomorrow, or you could instead realize the benefits of the future, with the DATATRAK ONE® Unified Experience™ today.
Technology has transformed industries from music to exercise and beyond. From wearable technology to live traffic flow on your smartphone, the expanding capabilities that are transforming our daily lives are also transforming the clinical trial industry, albeit a bit slower.
Today, 70% of clinical trials use eClinical solutions. For those trials that use some aspects and are considering more, or for those who are considering it for the first time, knowing what benefits to look for is imperative.
Advances in technology have opened the door to a new clinical environment, the eClinical environment. The term ‘eClinical’ describes the application of a specific technology in a trial, or to a general group of applications that fulfill many functions across the trial. Consider EDC, ePRO, Randomization, Imaging solutions and other technology options to address clinical trial data. Each can be used individually or in any combination, but in any instance, is referred to as the eClinical environment.
Understanding and choosing the best set of technology tools is critical to the overall success of the application. Today, there are many options: individual applications used as a standalone solution, various applications that are bundled or integrated, or a robust set of applications developed to work together that use a single data source.
In order to reduce the risk involved in employing technology tools, a good first step is to understand your needs from a functional level.
Defining the Need
Defining the specific need you are hoping to address is the first step. Your relevant set of options will be directly driven by the focus area; data management, randomization, inventory control, among others, are areas where eClinical solutions are readily available.
Ensuring the application conforms to all current regulations and guidelines is a prerequisite. Data security, accessibility, data storage, system reliability and ease of use are important to assess when choosing among qualified options. Determining the extent to which the trial will utilize technology is critical when selecting solutions. Choosing a comprehensive suite of solutions greatly differs from the selection of one or two products and can dramatically affect time and cost of training.
When selecting the vendor, a robust education program is crucial to ease training the user community. Ensuring all members of the trial team are properly trained will help leverage the power of the technology to drive real time and cost savings. Ensuring the tool is accepted in the company culture and environment is imperative to operate as effectively and efficiently as possible. Training is a requirement to gain the optimal benefit from the use of the application both in terms of financial value and a streamlined process workflow.
Several types of training are typically offered by leaders in the eClinical industry. Online, on demand training, available through a recorded video is a great benefit for users who can simply select the topic and learn from watching the video in the moment they have the question. Live training is optimal for the initial training session and more interactive sessions for more advanced users. A hybrid method, a webinar, is an online session hosted via web, where attendees can submit questions and they can be answered during that session without anyone leaving their desk.
The availability of a robust training portfolio is a critical decision point when choosing an eClinical provider.
When assessing the Help Desk Support, more isn’t always better. Many companies offer vast numbers of support around the globe because the help is needed. The more complex the product to use, the more support is likely needed. Don’t get caught up in the numbers game when it comes to support. Rather than asking how large the staff is at their respective help desks, ask how many calls they receive per day per client, on average.
For the best possible outcome, start with the end in mind when considering eClinical solutions. Technology can drive real time and cost savings by reducing complexities in managing clinical trial data, but to realize the fullest potential, the right solution and partner is key. A single data source, no downtime, easy-to-use, and intuitive training will drive greater efficiency for the trial.
In the next blog we will discuss how we can leverage technology to assist clinical data managers, clinical operations, and safety in data review and reporting, thereby increasing data quality and reducing risk.
In recruitment, there are several areas of potential risk: site selection, training of site staff and personnel, and the capability of the sites to leverage eClinical solutions to conduct the study within the guidelines of good clinical practices. Technology is actively simplifying these processes and reducing the related risk.
Many sponsors will conduct feasibility studies to determine the ideal locations where specific patient populations exist in order to optimize their ability to quickly enroll a particular study or trial. Often sites that have promised several qualified patients fail to enroll a single person thus making the time and effort spent in assembling the essential documents per GCP into the trial master file (TMF) non-productive. In order to mitigate this risk, careful screening of potential sites is needed. Knowing the specific parameters defined in the study protocol is very important; the site environment must be conducive to finding and supporting the specific patient population being studied. In many cases, this is accomplished through the evaluation of past site performance and the reputation of the principal investigator.
Site Staff Training
Finding experienced clinical trials professionals is becoming an increasingly difficult task. As many new doctors are entering the clinical trial arena and assuming principal investigator roles, training is a necessity. Technology is facilitating the transfer of this knowledge, through a wide variety of sources. The use of social media and webinars has contributed greatly to the spread of education throughout the industry. Vendors provide a wide variety of learning opportunities, from basic data management to risk-based monitoring, and industry trade shows feature clinical trials leaders who willingly share their insight and expertise.
Blogs, white papers, and case studies are also widely available, addressing the most basic topics to the most advanced challenges, giving each professional the opportunity to target their learning.
Good Clinical Practices & Technology
The use of technology, from electronic trial master files to clinical trial management systems (CTMS), can assist principal investigators and their staff in conforming to the complex and growing regulatory environment. Fundamentally, investigators need to be educated on the role of eClinical solutions in clinical trials as they complete medical school. A number of the top tier eClinical vendors, including DATATRAK, are providing their software to educational institutions to be used in clinical research curriculums by students to prepare them for the industry. Gaining a sound understanding of regulations and hands-on knowledge of the available technology can deliver immeasurable benefits to the trial.
The growing use of electronic health records will supplement and help reduce risk of poor enrollment rates by providing more insight to where targeted patient populations exist, making recruitment efforts more refined. The quality performance indicators of sites and specific principal investigators can be tracked in an easier fashion as these records become more readily available and integrated with current clinical trial management applications.
Study enrollment and site qualification risks can be mitigated through the use of electronic health records and current EDC and eClinical solutions applications. Medical records and the ability of sites to adequately maintain these records per FDA or ICH guidelines likewise is enhanced and related risk mitigated. Educational programs that take advantage of all of the tools available in the industry today as they teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, data managers, and site coordinators, will do much to provide pools of qualified and experienced clinical researchers in the years to come.
By Dr. Bill Gluck, Vice-President, Clinical Knowledge Recently, the European Forum for GCP (EFGCP) and MedTech Europe established a Medical Technology Working Party to promote the collaboration of defining and establishing standards within the medical device sector of the much larger clinical development industry. As noted by Dr. Klingmann, the Chair of EFGCP, the focus within…READ MORE
By Laurence P. Birch, Chairman and CEO, DATATRAK I read a discussion on LinkedIn recently where someone asked for feedback on eClinical solutions to the community of members. The initial question focused on market share in the industry, by company. There is no doubt that when it comes to market share, the perception is Bigger…READ MORE
from our CEO, Larry Birch Industry after industry, there are many examples of how hyper-connected consumers and social media are changing businesses and forcing entire ecosystems to adapt to the new paradigm. The drug and device development industry is set for dramatic change to realize time and cost savings. Those that are able will lead…READ MORE
The team that developed the DATATRAK ONE® Unified Experience™ shares their favorite features of the eClinical solutions. Software Developer, Sean Thrailkill I helped develop the Unified Experience™ for the Manager tools we use to handle clinical data in the DATATRAK ONE®platform. I am most excited about how useful the new functionality is. By simply configuring…READ MORE
By Niki Kutac, Director, Product Management Over the past decade we have drawn attention to the issues inherent in the frequent practice of merging or integrating eClinical products. However, because major competing vendors almost uniformly utilize an acquisition strategy to expand their product offerings, clients are led to believe that the resulting costs and complications…READ MORE
by Dr. Bill Gluck, DATATRAK Vice President Clinical Knowledge Technology has transformed industries from music to exercise and beyond. From wearable technology to live traffic flow on your smartphone, the expanding capabilities that are transforming our daily lives are also transforming the clinical trial industry, albeit a bit slower. Today, 70% of clinical trials use eClinical…READ MORE
by Dr. Bill Gluck, Vice-President Clinical Knowledge The recruitment, or enrollment, of patients for clinical trials is a key factor driving the success or failure of any study. The ability to enroll the correct number of qualified patient/subject populations allows sponsors to optimize logistical issues, including time to identify potential sites, qualify the sites and…READ MORE
by Dr. Bill Gluck, Vice-President Clinical Knowledge In the development of any drug, biologic, or medical device, it is necessary for some level of testing to be conducted. A series of clinical studies or trials are needed to test and validate the safety and efficacy of the intervention, while ensuring patient safety. In order to…READ MORE
by Dr. Bill Gluck, DATATRAK Vice President Clinical Knowledge The cornerstone of any clinical trial is the study protocol. As the protocol is the overarching blueprint for the trial, it is imperative to root out risk in this planning stage to optimize the entire trial process. Protocol design impacts both patient and trial risk. Importantly,…READ MORE
By Aaron Gadberry, former Director, Software Architecture, DATATRAK Recently, an article was released on the state of eClinical solutions and the need for a unified Experience. As follow-up to a webinar hosted with their business associates, Medidata published a position paper regarding the issue of eClinical product integration. Before we begin reviewing the content however, I…READ MORE
Dr. Bill Gluck, Vice President, Clinical Knowledge Clinical trials are necessary in the development and testing of pharmaceutical drugs, biologics, and medical devices. From the most common substances found on the drugstore shelf to the most advanced developments in cancer treatments, clinical trials are one piece in the critical path of finding meaningful treatment for…READ MORE
September 16-20 2013, DATATRAK, a leader in developing cloud-based, unified eClinical® technologies and delivering related services for the clinical trials industry, is joining approximately 200 public and private sector organizations to participate in the 8th Annual National Health IT Week (September 16-20, 2013). National Health IT Week 2013 is the premier event offering all healthcare…READ MORE
At the 16th Annual Workshop for Clinical Data Management: Smart CDM, in Tokyo, Japan, DATATRAK’s Vice President of Clinical and Consulting Services, Dr. Bill Gluck, gave a presentation on The FDA Guidance of Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring as Viewed by CDM. The presentation (located below) discusses the balance of risk and benefit of a risk-based…READ MORE
The year of 2012 was a busy year for the FDA. During the year the FDA approved 39 new products and issued many draft guidance documents that have impacted our industry. Below are the top five most popular blogs which address various key FDA guidance documents and other industry-specific topics. 1. Integrating Clinical Operations and…READ MORE
The CDISC (Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium) 2012 International Interchange “Accelerating Therapies through Standards” was held in Baltimore Maryland on October 22-26, 2012. The meeting attendees had the chance to hear from patient advocates, stakeholders and industry and regulatory leaders about the value of standards for accelerating new therapies for patients, as well as to…READ MORE
What is the cloud? Is it secure? With the idea of the cloud circulating through the life science industry, do people really know what the cloud is and the benefits of using it? Chris Wilke, Chief Technology Officer at DATATRAK, hosted a webinar, Understanding the Cloud. The term ‘cloud-based’ generates a storm of confusion. In fact,…READ MORE
by Laurnce P. Birch, Chairman and CEO, DATATRAK As recently mentioned in a Wall Street Journal article, Start-Ups Emerge as Tech Vendors of Choice, more businesses are turning to small companies for newer technology and innovative ideas, which is causing a shift away from big tech players such as Oracle. For years, the ‘big players’ have…READ MORE
Highlights for the second quarter of 2012 include: Revenues for the second quarter of 2012 increased 10% over the comparable period for 2011 Gross Profit remained stable at 83% Backlog at the end of the quarter totaled approximately $16 million – a 36% increase over backlog at December 31, 2011 and the highest balance in…READ MORE
Keiji Asada Director of Sales For the third straight year, DATATRAK has exhibited at the ASCO show in Chicago and per prior years, it was another successful show for the DATATRAK. The team in attendance included Larry Birch, Chief Executive Officer, Bill Coates, Vice President of Business Development & Strategy, Scott DeMell, Senior Director of…READ MORE
DATATRAK would like to congratulate Durham Technical Community College (DTCC) as they celebrate their 50th Anniversary of service to the community. DATATRAK would also like to congratulate all the students who recently graduated on May 30, 2012 from the Clinical Trials Research program. One year ago (in May 2011) DATATRAK expanded its DATATRAK Academy to…READ MORE
Life science organizations are always looking for solutions to help move their research forward safely and swiftly. DATATRAK’s CEO, Larry Birch, gave a presentation on Accelerating Clinical Trials. The presentation given at the Illinois Bio Conference discussed how market challenges create opportunities, technology affects on clinical trial development timelines and the benefits of using a…READ MORE
Guest Blogger: Lorraine Ellis President and CEO of Research Dynamics Consulting Group, LLC. Ahead of the Curve: Re-engineering and Integration of Clinical Trial processes for Efficiency and Cost-reduction Over the past 25 years I have been involved in implementing technology (EDC, CTMS, etc) in Clinical Trials and in revising processes for efficiency and cost-reduction. In…READ MORE
Dr. William Gluck VP, Clinical and Consulting Services Metrics are great tools for assessing and evaluating efficiency and effectiveness. They are especially useful when discussing clinical data management and electronic data capture (EDC). Accessing and choosing metrics that have meaning and can be used to assess and evaluate a particular process sometimes poses a challenge….READ MORE
Webinar Overview and Summary of Questions On Tuesday, Chris Wilke, Chief Technology Officer, hosted a webinar working through seven common factors that help to ensure best practices to optimize clinical supply strategies. Wilke named the following as seven key factors that can help determine effective strategies for managing clinical supplies for your study: • Supply…READ MORE