Exco InTouch’s ePRO Seminars Highlight Growing Importance Of Electronic Communication in Clinical Trials

(3 June, 2009) Exco InTouch, the leading provider of patient communication solutions for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, announces that the company’s recent Electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (ePRO) seminars highlighted the increasing shift from traditional methods of data collection in clinical trials towards electronic methods. The informative seminars entitled ‘The Complete Patient Experience Throughout the Trial Lifecycle’ took place in Philadelphia and London and demonstrated the benefits of using electronic technology (e.g. cell phones) for patient recruitment, retention and compliance during clinical trials. More information on the seminars can be found at www.excointouch.com .

The half-day seminars were co-hosted by Exco InTouch and ERT, a leading provider of centralized ECG and eClinical technology, ePRO and other services to the biopharmaceutical, medical device and related industries. Seminars in both London and Philadelphia venues were attended by over 40 delegates from small, medium and large pharma organisations and CRO companies. The seminars addressed the impact of new communication technologies on patient engagement in clinical trials and how these technologies have revolutionised data collection for pharmaceutical companies.

Several industry leaders attended the seminars to conduct discussions on the application of these methods for clinical trials, including a keynote address from Dr. Ken Kaitin, Director and Professor of Medicine Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development at Tufts University, Massachusetts. Dr. Kaitin is an internationally recognized expert on the science of drug development processes in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. His address entitled ‘Pharmaceutical Innovation at a Cross Roads: Economic and Political Perspectives on New Drug Development Process’, explored the current economic, regulatory, and political challenges in developing new pharmaceutical products. Representatives from global pharmaceutical companies also participated in the seminars including Mahnaz Asgharnejad, VP of Clinical Development at CeNeRx BioPharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments for diseases of the central nervous system. Dr. Asgharnejad discussed the application of ePRO to facilitate patient selection and monitoring in clinical trials.

During the seminars, Exco InTouch’s representatives demonstrated through numerous case studies how their innovative portfolio of communication-based technologies benefits pharmaceutical companies by significantly improving patient recruitment, retention and compliance throughout the clinical trials process. The seminars highlighted how using methods of electronic communication to retrieve confidential patient information greatly improves the speed, accuracy and integrity of data. Several large pharmaceutical companies already employ Exco InTouch’s cell phone-based technology as a simple and cost-effective way to retrieve data from patients while maintaining full compliance with strict industry regulations.

Copies of the seminar presentations are available directly from Exco InTouch. For further information on the Exco InTouch range of solutions, please call +44 1279 408 210 or +1 949 725 2946 or visit www.excointouch.com 

-ENDS-

For further press information please contact: Eleanor CallanMonk, The Scott Partnership, 1 Whiteside, Station Road, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire CW4 8AA Tel: +44 1477 539539 Fax: +44 1477 539540 e-mail: exco@scottpr.com 

About Exco InTouch
Exco InTouch is the leading provider of interactive patient communication solutions using internet and cell phone technology. Using a combination of software and services, Exco InTouch offers BioPharma sponsors, CROs and patient recruitment agencies the opportunity to improve patient recruitment, retention and compliance using timely notifications, alerts and two-way messages.

Additionally, Exco collects electronic patient reported outcomes (ePRO) and diary data using standard cell phone technology which is both cost effective for sponsors and extremely easy and convenient for trial subjects. These solutions are currently being used by hundreds of thousands of patients in over 70 countries, delivered in the local language and are fully compliant with HIPAA regulations, FDA CFR 21 Part 11 and all electronic communication privacy directives.