Nova Scotia Health Partners with Medable for Decentralized Clinical Trial Technology to Improve Oncology Patient Access
PALO ALTO, Calif.—- Medable Inc., the leading technology platform for clinical trials, announced that its decentralized clinical trial (DCT) platform was selected by the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub to increase the accessibility of oncology care for remote patients in rural Nova Scotia, with the long-term aim to improve patient access and trial diversity across Canada.
Nova Scotia Health selects Medable to increase the accessibility of oncology care for remote patients in rural Nova Scotia, with the long-term aim to improve patient access and trial diversity across Canada.
For oncology patients living in rural parts of Nova Scotia, accessing follow-up care can be challenging, especially when it requires lengthy travel time and costs. That’s why Nova Scotia Health is partnering with Medable on a two-year pilot study, launched in January 2023, to improve access to clinical trials. Using Medable’s Total Consent Management and Televisit solutions plus other services, differentiated thyroid cancer patients in the study will have the ability to speak with a physician when they need it the most – from the comfort of their home.
“We face numerous challenges to providing holistic care, including geographic distance, recruiting diverse patients, and a shortage of clinical researchers,” explained Dr. Ali Imran, the principal investigator for this study and physician for Nova Scotia Health. “With Medable, my patients will continue to get the best care, wherever they live. This is the future of clinical research, and I am honored to play my part.”
“Nova Scotia Health is focused on conducting breakthrough research that brings meaningful outcomes to patients. We aspire to lead globally in identifying and implementing new technologies that facilitate those outcomes, especially in remote settings,” said Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy, vice president, research, innovation and discovery and chief nurse executive at Nova Scotia Health. “Alongside Dr. Imran, we are thrilled to partner with Medable, a fellow champion of healthcare innovation whose solutions directly address the challenges in our province’s health system, from patient access and a wide variety of available trials to best care possible, and beyond. We look forward to a successful ongoing partnership.”
Nova Scotia Health, which conducts around 400 clinical trials per year, also hopes this strategy will empower primary care providers (PCP) to be more involved with their patients post-trial through a shared care model, supported by DCT technologies.
“The success of this pilot stands to be a game-changer far beyond the borders of Nova Scotia,” said Michelle Longmire, co-founder and CEO of Medable. “Our technologies will empower a shared care model where PCPs will provide long-term oncology monitoring and care that was previously only possible through specialists – to the detriment of patient experience and outcomes. The potential benefits are vast – from improved prevention of cancer recurrence to increased diversity in clinical research.”
“With Medable at our side,” Dr. Tomblin Murphy concluded, “we will be able to be a leader in the evolution of clinical trial execution, helping sponsors to conduct accessible clinical trials regardless of where patients live.”
Medable has deployed its software-as-a-service platform via more than 300 decentralized and hybrid clinical trials in 60 countries, serving more than one million patients and research participants globally. Medable’s customers have achieved impressive results with decentralized and hybrid trials – including 200 percent faster enrollment and 50 percent cost reductions. A recent 2022 financial modeling of DCTs using industry benchmark and Medable data conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development shows that, on average, decentralized trials can achieve net financial benefits ranging from five to 13 times for Phase II and Phase III trials, due to reduced trial timelines and other factors.
About Medable
Medable is on a mission to get effective therapies to patients faster by transforming clinical drug development with disruptive technologies. The company’s digital platform streamlines design, recruitment, retention and data quality for decentralized trials, replacing siloed systems with integrated digital tools, data and interfaces to accelerate trial execution. Medable connects patients, sites and clinical trial teams to improve patient access, experience and outcomes. Medable’s software has been named a Leader in the industry by both Everest Group and IDC. Medable is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
About Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub
The Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada, is our center of excellence for health research, innovation, and discovery. Through a business development lens, the Innovation Hub team is leading the transformation of health care in our province through strategic partnerships, leading-edge research, and the best available evidence to deliver high-impact, innovative solutions for patients and providers.
