Re-branding, EDC, and swag … oh my!

April 29, 2009 – 8:03 pm by Michael Christel

Day two at Partnerships with CROs is all but wrapped up. Attendees jumped back and forth between the exhibit hall and some 30 available sessions, ranging in topic from alternative development models to patient safety to globalization and trial complexity. As I head to grab some grub, here are a couple highlights from the show floor.

- Bio-Imaging goes bye-bye: Just in name only, that is. CRO Bio-Imaging Technologies Inc. officially unveiled its new branding name, now known as BioClinica, which integrates the company’s imaging core lab services with the EDC capabilities of its Phoenix Data Systems division. Read the press release here. I caught up with the folks at the BioClinica booth, who said bridging imaging and EDC tools into a “one-stop shop” of sorts for sponsors was a logical move. They pointed to the massive amounts of imaging data that flow into their central labs daily and how EDC can play an essential role in ensuring the organization and collection of clean data. With Bio-Imaging and Phoenix Data Systems joining forces, the new company has more than 450 employees managing processes for more than 11,000 sites.

- Speaking of EDC: I chatted briefly with Tony Varano, who founded e-clinical vendor DSG 17 years ago. His company deployed its first EDC study in 1998, which was then used in a clinical trial in early 2000. In April 2008, DSG established a wholly owned subsidiary in India. Being a longtime provider of EDC services, I asked Mr. Varano if electronic studies are finally poised to supplant traditional paper-based trials as the data management standard.

“Why it’s been too slow to adopt is all about money,” Mr. Varano says. “All these business have been set up to process the paper. There’s been a reluctance over a long period of time because there’s a lot of businesses out there that depended on that type of processing of studies. When 80 to 90% of pharma has relationships with these companies and they say there’s no timing difference in terms of getting the data and locking the data, you say, fine, do it you however you want to do it. It’s more about the relationship. But that’s changing. It’s been gradual, but you’re seeing that change.”

Mr. Varano said for larger studies to use paper over EDC is “almost impossible to justify” from a cost and speed standpoint.

- Prize patrol: In case you were wondering if the present economic climate is forcing vendors to be a little more creative with their prize offerings this year, it’s hard to tell. Among raffle and contest giveaways are the iPod Touch, Amazon’s Kindle 2 reading device, Monopoly: Clinical R&D Edition, two bottles of wine, Nintendo Wii, a portable GPS, a two-year lease on a Honda Fit, and a DNA profiling kit. One company had attendees testing their virtual football skills for a shot at items autographed by Steelers great Terry Bradshaw, who is delivering a keynote address tomorrow morning.