CON plc, (NASDAQ: ICLR) a global provider of drug development solutions and services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced that it has agreed on preliminary deal terms with Intel Corporation to enable ICON to offer the Intel® Pharma Analytics Platform for use in clinical trials. The Intel platform is an edge-to-cloud artificial intelligence (AI) solution that enables remote monitoring and continuous capture of clinical data from study subjects using sensors and wearable devices, and can apply machine learning techniques to objectively measure symptoms and quantify the impact of therapies.

Jointly configured by ICON experts and building on Intel’s AI and analytics leadership, trials that leverage the Intel® Pharma Analytics Platform can:

• Capture de-identified, objective, high-quality, rich sensory data via sensors and wearable devices.
• Get real-time information about protocol adherence while helping patients manage medication, perform structured tests and report symptoms.
• Utilize smartphone applications to collect electronic diaries and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).
• Transmit the de-identified data to a secured cloud infrastructure for storage and analysis.
• Apply machine learning and other AI methods to objectively assess and quantify the severity of symptoms, quantify the impact of therapies such as medication efficacy or dose response.

The Intel® Pharma Analytics Platform provides benefits for pharmaceutical companies seeking to speed and simplify clinical trials, reduce trial costs, and gather more objective evidence; by transitioning to automatic collection of consistent, unbiased data, remote monitoring for data analysis, and delivering improved patient experience. These changes will help accelerate time-to-market for new drugs, by producing high-quality data and increasing patient retention, leading to shorter trials.

Intel values individuals’ privacy and employs technical and organizational measures where appropriate to protect the privacy and security of the personal data of the users of the Intel® Pharma Analytics Platform, as required by Articles 28 and 32 GDPR and any other applicable laws.   Where appropriate, Intel performs data protection impact assessments as required under Article 35 GDPR.

“Our engagement with Intel  confirms ICON’s position as the leading CRO for advancing the use of wearable technology, and will expand ICON’s existing offering to include a service where data can be aggregated and analysed from mhealth and wearable technologies, with advanced analytics allowing for development of novel endpoints and digital biomarkers,” commented Steve Cutler, CEO at ICON. “Furthermore, the platform supports patient centric trial designs by reducing or eliminating the need for patients to travel to sites, and can be integrated with our Direct to Patient Call Centre (DPC) providing a seamless compliance monitoring service.”

“Intel is accelerating the pace of digital transformation, and IT plays a leading role in delivering solutions on that journey,” says Paula Tolliver, Corporate Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Intel Corporation.  “With the power of AI, the Intel® Pharma Analytics Platform helps the clinical trial industry reduce costs and deliver fresh insights for drug development, potentially saving thousands of lives.”