Increasing visibility of potential study participants to sites and sponsors
Dublin, Ireland, 9 May, 2019 – ICON plc, (NASDAQ: ICLR) a global provider of drug and device development and commercialisation services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced the release of its web based patient engagement platform, to provide patients with study specific information and connectivity with the nearest investigative site. The solution supplements patient recruitment outreach by sites and increases visibility of potential study participants for sponsors and sites.
Patient recruitment specialists work with sponsors to develop outreach programs that incorporate the right mix of digital channels, traditional methods and patient advocacy partnerships to attract patients to a study branded website hosted on the platform. An easy to navigate, user friendly interface guides the patient to new and ongoing studies in their particular indication and a pre-qualification questionnaire helps to determine if the study is a right fit for them. If the patient decides to register interest, they are given the option to select their nearest investigative site. This establishes connection with the site and the patient can then choose to contact the site or ask to be contacted for pre-screening.
By being able to access the mobile optimised website at home, patients are able to discuss the possibility of trial participation as a clinical care option with their family and caregivers. Making it easier for the patient to register interest will increase access to potential patients for sponsors. The platform will also enable site staff to see the number of pre-qualification questionnaires completed in near real-time to monitor and report on progress to sponsors.
“Access to patients continues to be the biggest challenge for sponsors, impacting speed to market and overall drug development costs,” commented EB McLindon, Senior VP Site & Patient Solutions, “We have used our understanding of patients gained through managing thousands of trials to develop this patient engagement platform and ease the burden on sites and patients. This will increase the predictability and speed of patient recruitment”.
About ICON plc
ICON plc is a global provider of outsourced drug and device development and commercialisation services to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and government and public health organisations. The company specialises in the strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to Phase I-IV clinical studies. With headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, ICON employed approximately 13,920 employees in 90 locations in 37 countries as at March 31, 2019. Further information is available at www.iconplc.com/patient-platform.
ICON Media Contact:
Lucinda Sandon-Allum
Weber Shandwick
+44 (0)20 7067 0548