Last week, trial-matching platform developer Healogica announced the availability of a new iPhone app that allows potential patients to search for clinical trials via the mobile web. Only $.99 to download, Clinical Trials 2.0 is an extension of Healogica’s current website, which provides a database for patients to search and connect with trials based on age, sex, zip code, and basic medical information. Investigators can also register to search through patient profiles and screen/select participants for their own studies as appropriate.
We like this idea! Patient recruitment is still a severe time- and resource-intensive procedure, and anything that allows participants to take a more active role will help improve the process – and by extension, the entire the drug development process. (Plus, we like the company even more for donating 50% of the profits from downloads to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.) Healogica has already taken an innovative (and long overdue) step by incorporating Web 2.0 into study startup, and by enabling proactive patient engagement even on the go, the platform has real potential for helping to improve pharma’s still-outdated patient recruitment protocol by improving the lines of communication and accessibility. After all: finding a breast cancer trial on your phone on your way to the doctor’s office? Hard to get more accessible than that!
www.healogica.com
http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/healogica-launches-iphone-app-donate-proceeds-charity