New Global Industry Body Aiming to Dramatically Increase Access for All Patients Populations to Clinical Trials and Research Launching Today
Dateline – 10 December 2020 – MRN are pleased to be joining a new alliance of fifty life sciences and healthcare organizations that seeks to accelerate the broad adoption of patient-focused, decentralized clinical trials and research; the “Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA),” which launches December 10th, 2020.
“We are delighted to be joining DTRA as active members of the Leadership Council,” says Doug Cookson, VP Commercial Development at MRN. “The stated ideals of DTRA, ‘Uniting pan-industry stakeholders, with a singular mission to make clinical trial participation widely accessible by advancing policies, research practices and digital-health technologies in decentralized clinical research’, fits exactly with the values and ethos the MRN have espoused, as pioneers and leaders in the DCT space, for the last 14 years, – We are joined in our passion to democratize and accelerate clinical trials”
Amir Kalali, MD, founder of several collaborative life science communities, and co-convenor of DTRA. “By advancing decentralized research we can make the clinical trial process more patient-focused, increase trial efficiency and encourage the use of technologies”
Experts estimate that COVID-19 may set back non-pandemic clinical trials by several years due to prospective patients’ inability or reluctance to schedule visits at physical research locations. Decentralized approaches to conducting research facilitate participation by a more diverse patient population and could ease COVID-19-imposed difficulties for both patients and clinical investigators. Inclusion of representative patient populations in clinical trials by race, age, and geographic location has long been an operational challenge. COVID-19 has amplified the disparities and inclusion biases that have become hurdles for potential trial participants.
Craig Lipset, DTRA co-convener, clinical innovation advisor, and a pioneer in decentralized trials, “We have a responsibility to advance the health of people with unmet medical needs, and by convening stakeholders we can remove remaining barriers to adoption and impact patients today.”
MRN joins with its peer DTRA Member organizations to provide expertise to identify and address gaps and needs and advance best practices through effective education and communication. MRN urges other organizations interested in taking part to visit DTRA.org
ABOUT MRN:
Medical Research Network (MRN) is the industry-leading clinical trial support organization focused on decentralized clinical trials. We understand the complexities of today’s clinical trial environment and the burden this places on patients, clients, and sites. Our services are designed to ease these burdens, accelerating patient recruitment, and retention. We continually work to improve our products and process, based on industry-leading experience, so we can deliver the complex efficiently, by helping patients in their community.
ABOUT DTRA:
The Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA) was convened to enable the collaboration of stakeholders to accelerate the adoption of patient-focused, decentralized clinical trials, and research within life sciences and healthcare through education and research. It works to make research participation accessible to everyone, enabled by the consistent, widespread adoption of appropriate decentralized research methods.
