At the DIA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia last month, Vodafone and Exco InTouch announced a deal that sees Vodafone launching a new mobile-enabled clinical trial offering that leverages Exco's patient reported outcomes software for mobile phones. Exco made headlines last year when it inked a deal with pharmaceutical company Pfizer to determine how effective mobile-enabled clinical trials could be at saving researchers time, lowering costs, yielding more accurate results, increasing patient compliance and engagement, lowering withdrawal rates, and enabling real-time data.
Last June Pfizer inked a deal with Exco InTouch to use its eDiary technology for its mobile-enabled Participatory Patient-Centered (PPC) clinical trial, which Pfizer called the first FDA-approved clinical drug trial involving all-electronic home-based reporting. Participants in the trial received medication via the mail and used the mobile application to participate in the study. The drug “tested”, Detrol, is intended for use by patients with overactive bladders and has already been FDA-cleared.
Vodafone plans to launch its version of the offering, called Vodafone Patient Reported Outcomes (Vodafone PRO) on a global scale. Vodafone is a global mobile operator with more than 400 million mobile subscribers in 30 different countries across five different continents. Vodafone points to statistics that claim some 85 percent of the world's population now owns a mobile phone, which makes it an important and accessible technology that can be used in clinical trials.
“[The partnership] demonstrates the extent to which mobile phone technology is increasingly being recognised by large pharmaceutical companies as an effective tool for the collection of clinical trial data," Tim Davis, CEO, Exco InTouch, said in a written statement. "As a result of the partnership, research sponsors will be able to monitor safety and manage compliance in real time. This will make clinical trials easier and safer for patients, while enabling researchers to collect and process data quickly, accurately and reliably.”
More in the press release below:
PRESS RELEASE: (26 June 2012) Vodafone, one of the world's largest mobile communications companies, announced today that it has signed an agreement with Exco InTouch, a leading provider of compliant, interactive mobile patient management solutions.
Together they will deliver Vodafone Patient Reported Outcomes (Vodafone PRO), a solution which has the potential to radically improve patient compliance and data quality in clinical research.
Vodafone PRO enables high quality data to be gathered as trial participants can report their experiences quickly and easily using their own mobile phone. The service will be available on a global scale, benefiting from Vodafone’s international footprint and in-depth mobile and consumer insight, along with Exco InTouch’s extensive background in patient engagement. As more than 85% of the world’s population now own a mobile phone, the solution is using accessible technology that is firmly embedded in many people’s lives.
Exco InTouch’s solutions have been chosen by Vodafone as they provide simple, non-intrusive and compliant channels of communication. This enables sponsors and Contract Research Organisations to find and retain the right patients through engaging interactions and improved patient experience as well as offering customisable solutions to facilitate the collection of high quality patient data.
Axel Nemetz, Head of mHealth Solutions for Vodafone, said. “With this collaboration, Vodafone is confident that we can offer our clients the most innovative and effective clinical research solutions available in the global market. Our involvement will enable sponsors to choose our services for entire therapeutic areas around the world.” The initiative supports Vodafone’s strategy to expand its global and scalable healthcare services.
Tim Davis, CEO, Exco InTouch, comments: “Exco InTouch is delighted to enter into this complementary agreement with Vodafone. It demonstrates the extent to which mobile phone technology is increasingly being recognised by large pharmaceutical companies as an effective tool for the collection of clinical trial data. As a result of the partnership, research sponsors will be able to monitor safety and manage compliance in real time. This will make clinical trials easier and safer for patients, while enabling researchers to collect and process data quickly, accurately and reliably.”
Vodafone PRO can be configured for different study protocols in all phases of clinical research to collect crucial patient reported end point data. This scalable solution allows large volumes of high quality patient data to be securely transferred, validated and analysed in clinical trials. Vodafone PRO will make it easier for sponsors to retain and track people participating in trials and, through the patient-centred approach, is designed to improve the quality of data captured.
To learn more about this new partnership agreement, visit the Exco InTouch booth (#3201) at the DIA Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, 24-28 June, 2012.
For further information on the Exco InTouch range of solutions, please call +44 1279 709 040 or +1 877 327 5777 or visit www.excointouch.co.uk.
For further information on Vodafone mHealth Solutions, visit http://mhealth.vodafone.com.
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About Exco InTouch
Exco InTouch is the trusted global innovator of regulatory compliant, mobile patient engagement solutions for life sciences and healthcare companies involved in clinical, late phase and mHealth research. Using a combination of patented software and services delivered in a cloud environment, Exco’s solutions can be utilised on any electronic device. This safe, secure platform facilitates compliant patient communication across the clinical development process from early phase development right through to long term studies and mHealth. As a result, Exco can help its customers to improve clinical outcomes by putting the patient at the heart of a study and enhancing the overall patient experience.
Exco’s solutions are currently being used by hundreds of thousands of patients in over seventy countries, delivered in the local language and are fully compliant with HIPAA regulations, FDA CFR 21 Part 11 and all electronic communication privacy directives.
About Vodafone
Vodafone is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with approximately 404 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as at 31 March 2012. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com.
