Leveraging Electronic Data Capture to Optimize Your Clinical Trial Pipeline
by Tarek Sherif, CEO, Medidata Solutions
EDC, when properly provided and implemented, is a powerful tool that holds tremendous promise for biotech, genomic, and pharmaceutical firms' efforts in bringing new compounds to market in substantially less time, with improved resource utilization. In its simplest form, EDC involves the process of converting paper-based Case Report Forms (CRFs), used in the clinical trial setting, into Electronic Case Report Forms (eCRFs), while adding real-time feedback mechanisms.
Traditional paper-based methods, which are people, process, and resource intensive, can now be facilitated with collaborative, Internet-based solutions. Trial data is electronically captured; robust edit checks are performed instantaneously; aggregate data is made available in real-time; and ultimately, cleaner data is available sooner. Given how critically important research data is, investment in EDC technologies should be considered.
