Parexel adds cardiac tech

Parexel has entered into an alliance with Mortara Instrument to bolster its early phase cardiac safety capabilities and improve the assesment of new compounds.

Cardiac safety studies have become increasingly important as regulatory requirements have changed, leading to contract research organisations (CRO), including MDS Pharma Services and Parexel, improving their offering in this area.

Under the terms of the deal with Mortara Parexel will adopt the electrocardiogram (ECG) specialist's Surveyor Telementry Central System. This allows Parexel to acquire and store continuous, diagnostic 12-lead ECG data that sent wirelessly from devices attached to clinical trial participants.

Michelle Middle, corporate vice president and worldwide head of early phase at Parexel, believes the deal "provides customers with improved automation in the acquisition and reporting of ECG data for greater data accuracy and faster, better decision making".

Middle added: "This relationship represents our commitment to providing comprehensive early phase cardiovascular expertise and capabilities, such as intensive ECG and thorough QT/QTc studies, supported by enabling technologies."

Parexel has fully implemented and validated the system at its early phase clinical unit in Baltimore, Maryland, US. Furthermore, the deal extends the technology capabilities for ECH and QT/QTc conducted at Parexel's early stage sites around the world, inlcuding units in Los Angeles, California, US, London, UK, Berlin Germany and Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Each of Parexel's units "has state-of-the-art equipment and performs cardiac safety studies according to international guidelines". Data generated at the sites is analysed by Parexel's early phase team which works in collaboration with ECG core laboratories.