Update
Icon to offer at-home clinical trials following Symphony purchase
Since 2003, Symphony Clinical Research has been providing at-home patient and site support services from its US-based office in Vernon Hills, IL and across the Atlantic in Gdansk, Poland.
According to the company, it has worked on global trials in more than 50 countries and several therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, immunology, oncology, and respiratory. It also in 2018 announced a strategic collaboration with LabConnect to advance home-based clinical trials by developing new processes and tools, including clinical collection kits.
Symphony Clinical Research CEO Nicki Norris described the Icon deal as a ‘great opportunity’ to expand the company’s services.
Said Icon CEO Dr. Steve Cutler in a statement: “A core objective of our patient-centered approach is to increase predictability in patient recruitment and improve patient engagement. Symphony Clinical Research further enhances this approach by providing us with the capability to offer patients at-home trial services making clinical trials more accessible for patients and improving enrollment.”
Additionally, Icon will now provide support services to sites experiencing staff shortages or capacity challenges related to trial activities.
“The industry continues to look for ways of overcoming the ongoing challenge of patient recruitment and long term engagement,” said EB McLindon, senior vice president of site and patient solutions at Icon, who will be leading the integrated services.
“Providing at-home care and bringing the trial to the patient wherever they live, increases the recruitable patient population and supports the clinical trial market’s evolution to include more decentralised trial designs, which can include at-home visits for patients alongside in-clinic visits,” he told us.
The acquisition – financial terms of which were not disclosed – concluded in late September and also complements Icon’s PMG Research and MeDiNova Research site networks in the US and EMEA, according to the company.
