Clinical research helper WIRB-Copernicus Group (WCG) has bought Patient Genesis’ eConsent technology, ConsentNow, a product co-developed by Jeffrey Litwin, M.D., CEO of WCG’s recently formed MedAvante ProPhase subsidiary.
The software uses custom video animations to present clinical trial information and asks patients questions to assess their level of understanding, aiming for better patient education and easier enrollment. WCG argues that patients who are better informed from the beginning of the trial are also less likely to drop out.
“ConsentNow enables providers to deliver important information in the patient’s native language and capture their feedback via questionnaire. This helps to eliminate confusion for the patient, and increase efficiency for the trial’s sponsor,” Litwin said in a statement.
Litwin co-developed the software with Kevin Kimmel’s team at Patient Genesis in 2015. He came to his current position in May, when WCG purchased central nervous system diseases-focused electronic clinical outcome assessments specialists MedAdvante and ProPhase, and brought them under a single leadership.
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WCG’s adoption of an eConsent platform came shortly after Medidata made a similar move to acquire Mytrus, which has the first eConsent technology reviewed and supported by the U.S. FDA for use in a clinical trial in 2011.
A February study by CRF Health—another major provider of eConsent tech for clinical trials—revealed that the industry is looking forward to the adoption of eConsent. Of all 146 respondents holding clinical operations, executive leadership, clinical sciences and data management positions from 100 biopharmas, CROs and IRB organizations, over half of them said their organizations will adopt eConsent in 2017.
Plus, over 85% of respondents said that they regard interactivity and an attractive user interface as highly valuable in an eConsent solution. Following that study, CRF updated its own eConsent offering, a platform called TrialConsent, in June. It improved its user interface with better navigation for both participants and site personnel.