Contract research organisation (CRO) SGS Life Science Services has picked eclinical provider Phase Forward to be its preferred partner to manage its clinical trials.
Under the terms of the collaboration, SGS will use Phase Forward's electronic data capture (EDC) technology - InForm - to support the data collection, management and analysis of its clinical trials.
Financial details were not disclosed but it could prove a rewarding move for Phase Forward since SGS manages 100 clinical trials annually.
This latest announcement marks an expansion of the relationship between the two firms, as SGS already uses Phase Forward's Clintrial product - a clinical data management system that integrates both electronically captured and paper-based study data - as well as Phase Forward's Clintrace software - an adverse event tracking and reporting system.
Meanwhile, Datatrak, an eclinical solutions specialist, also recently bagged an exclusive deal with an undisclosed North American pharmaceutical company.
Datatrak said it was selected over several other eclinical solutions providers by the US firm primarily because its platform can flexibly serve a variety of clinical trial needs within a single database.
In addition, the availability of Datatrak's Enterprise Consulting Group was also a noted as a differentiating factor compared to other providers as the firm's new customer is currently transitioning its organisation from paper-based clinical trials to the use of technology.
A master services agreement is currently being negotiated between the two companies. Specifications and budgets related to pending projects are not yet finalised, however, multiple clinical trials are expected to start this year, the two firms said.
Also in the news recently, Clinipace, a clinical research software company, announced the launch of its new technology suite aimed at small and medium-sized CROs.
The Empowered Partner Programme (EPP) will provide a tailored and proven clinical software to help these CROs compete more effectively with larger, full-service firms, while still maintaining their own level of specialisation.
"Smaller, more specialised CROs typically do not have the bandwidth or financial resources to invest in multiple sophisticated clinical software applications, particularly if they are actively providing their clients with the detailed, attentive service that won them the business in the first place," said Jeff Williams, CEO of Clinipace.
"Clinipace recognises this and has created our partner program to be a true collaboration enabling CROs to augment their core strengths with our core strengths, and increase their revenue as a result."
To illustrate that, the company said that its first two partner CROs have recently closed over $3m (€2.3m) in new business won in collaboration with Clinipace.
Meanwhile, etrials has won a contract with a "top ten global" pharma company to provide services for a Phase III clinical trial.
While the name of the new client was not disclosed, etrials said the project is its third with the company.
Under the terms of the deal, etrials will provide its "eDiary" solution for the seven-month trial, which is related to nerve pain associated with diabetes. In addition, Etrials will provide software to run on wireless handheld devices for more than 500 subjects in the trial, which involves more than 80 sites in the US and Canada.
In other eclinical news, PPD has announced that its eclinical division, CSS Informatics, and software provider i-clinic have entered an agreement.
The deal enables CSS to further expand its range of data handling and integration services by supporting Clincapt, i-clinics's exclusive cross-media electronic data capture and management system.
The main feature of Clincapt is its ability to combine paper processes, including scan and fax, optical character recognition (OCR) and manual entry, with EDC.
Finally, Spheris unveiled seven distinct modules of its new Clarity technology platform at a eclinical tradeshow held in New Orleans, Louisiana last month.
Each module represents a complementary functionality designed to deliver a platform for clinical documentation.
The company, which specialises in of clinical documentation technology services, said the move was driven by the strong demand for the platform - which was launched last October - and since then the company has been speeding up the technology implementation with dozens of clients across the US.
The Clarity solution includes front-end and back-end speech recognition, dual electronic physician signature, comprehensive monitoring and reporting tools, as well as quality control auditing capabilities.
"We believe Clarity's versatility is unmatched in the clinical documentation technology industry," said Spheris CIO Joe Degati.
"We work with our clients to design the best system for their needs, capable of supporting the full range of technology available today."