(Reuters) – Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp) said on Thursday it was partnering with software provider Medable to speed up the adoption of virtual clinical trials, as many participants are dropping out of ongoing studies due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medable’s modular software platform will help patients registered with LabCorp’s drug development unit Covance to participate in decentralized clinical trials and facilitate remote data collection and engagement between patients, sites and clinical investigators.
In recent months, clinical trial service providers have reported a spike in demand for virtual trials as pharmaceutical companies try to prevent the coronavirus outbreak from derailing their drug rollouts.
Covance, which has been offering decentralized clinical trials, will expand its technology ecosytem to accelerate timelines for clinical development, the company said.
Medable CEO Michelle Longmire said this decentralized trial ecosystem will help patients receive effective therapies at a faster pace.
(Reporting By Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
