Almac Invests $48M in New eClinical Platform to Streamline Clinical Trials

Almac Group, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), has announced a significant $48 million investment in its clinical technologies arm. The centerpiece of this investment is the launch of the Almac Trial Coordinator, a novel interoperable clinical trial technology platform designed to address key challenges faced by contract research organizations (CROs) and clinical sites.

Revolutionizing Clinical Trial Management

The Almac Trial Coordinator represents a major leap forward in eClinical technology. This "first-in-class" platform aims to unify operational processes, clinical data, and systems into a single, cohesive protocol. By doing so, Almac seeks to tackle what it describes as the industry's "pressing and unmet system fragmentation challenge."

Valarie Higgins, managing director of Almac Clinical Technologies, emphasized the significance of this development: "This investment underscores our commitment to delivering flexible, scalable solutions that empower sponsors and sites to run complex trials with confidence and efficiency."

Addressing Site Burden and Improving Trial Efficiency

Recent years have seen a shift in clinical trial challenges, with site burden emerging as a critical concern. Higgins explained in an exclusive interview that the source of this burden stems from the difficulties sites face when navigating multiple trials, each with different systems.

"We're trying to solve that problem of simplifying the conduct of clinical trials, which improves compliance, speed, your ability to retain and recruit sites and for the entire trial to be successful," Higgins stated.

The Almac Trial Coordinator boasts unique usability features and is supported by reusable libraries of standardized study templates. This design is intended to expand the pool of clinical trial sites capable of meeting the demands of modern clinical studies.

Economic Impact and Industry Position

Almac's investment is expected to create over 100 advanced technology jobs globally, further solidifying its position in the pharmaceutical services sector. As one of the first interactive response technology (IRT) providers, Almac is no stranger to introducing market-leading products.

The company anticipates strong adoption of the new platform, citing its "plug and play" functionality as a key selling point. This latest offering complements Almac's existing suite of services, which spans the spectrum of clinical and commercial needs across its various business units.