Issue 9 2019

66 Acquisition International - Issue 9 2019 Aug19061 Opening the Door for Virtual Clinical Trials At a time where patient care has never been higher on the medical agenda, pharmaceutical companies and research sites alike are striving to deliver new medication options for patients whilst learning all they can. That’s where VirTrial comes in, a decentralised clinical trial platform provider that enables virtual visits to reduce the burden on patients and improve site efficiency. As we profile the company, find out the reasons behind its success and what makes it one of America’s most innovative virtual care platforms for clinical trials in 2019. or some patients, getting to a research site as part of a clinical trial can prove difficult, or even impossible. VirTrial’s telehealth platform makes it possible to participate remotely, is available for use on any device, including patients’ personal devices (Apple, Android, tablet or computer), and will work for any research site. By seamlessly blending video, text and email capabilities, clinical trial sites can easily address specific patient and study needs in a secure environment. VirTrial serves the pharmaceutical industry, specifically pharmaceutical companies and CROs that incorporate virtual visits into their clinical trial protocols. The telehealth platform enables research sites to conduct some visits remotely, reducing the time and travel commitments on patients. Incorporating these virtual visits benefits pharmaceutical companies by reducing the time needed to complete trials, and benefits sites by improving efficiencies, ultimately helping to deliver new drugs to market much quicker. Promoting a hybrid approach to decentralised clinical trials, VirTrial endeavours to keep some trial visits in-person, when appropriate. Reserving remote visits for appointments such as study wellness check- ins and medication compliance checks, the firm ensures that these can be accomplished safely and easily. The management team at VirTrial is comprised entirely of clinical research professionals with more than forty years of combined experience and who have worked on more than 10,000 clinical research trials. The company’s solution is built on a proven telehealth platform currently used at more than 1700 hospitals, conducting 100,000 virtual visits every day. The platform has been customised for the clinical trials industry. Clinical trials themselves haven’t evolved much in the past century, but in an age of digitalisation, that seems to be changing. With the emergence of telehealth solutions, the industry is working to improve recruitment and engagement rates to get new medications into markets quicker. With the introduction of virtual visits, the traditional clinical trial process is evolving to include fewer geographical limitations, higher participation rates, and a more diverse patient population. Recently, the company has begun rolling out training for research sites to help them get up to speed on how to conduct hybrid decentralised clinical trials using the VirTrial platform. Partnering with multiple industry associations, training is free of charge to members and the company aims to train 30,000 members and 9,000 sites on how to maximise the potential of virtual trials. Company: VirTrial Contact: Kim Kundert, VP of Operations Website: www.virtrial.com F “...the company has begun rolling out training for research sites to help them get up to speed on how to conduct hybrid decentralised clinical trials using the VirTrial platform.” Mark Hanley, CEO, VirTrial