CRO

BeiGene to use Medidata’s ePRO solution for oncology studies

Known for its expertise in developing targeted and immunology-based cancer treatments, BeiGene is adding Medidata’s electronic patient-reported outcome solution to clinical studies in that field.

BeiGene will integrate data received through Medidata’s Patient Cloud ePRO into its electronic data capture platform called Rave. The infusion will improve operational efficiency, reduce transcription errors and reconciliation issues, and decrease data quality risk plans, Medidata said in a release.

“By automating paper-based procedures and centralizing patient data on the Medidata platform, we’re able to collaborate globally on our oncology research,” said Ross Pettit, SVP of global development operations at BeiGene, in a statement.

Medidata recently reported a strong second quarter with quarterly revenues reaching $137.4 million, representing a 20% year-on-year jump. The increase was driven by continued demand for its platforms, Medidata Chairman and CEO Tarek Sherif told investors and analysts during a conference call on July 18. Patient Cloud performed especially well, as incremental bookings quadrupled in the first half of 2017 compared to last year.

The new service additions, expanded on a previous two-year relationship between Medidata and BeiGene, also include BeiGene’s adoption of an electronic transmission interface that connects adverse events reporting to Rave.

RELATED: Celgene bags Beigene PD-1 drug for $263M up front

The Chinese biotech was recently in the spotlight with a billion-dollar deal with Celgene, transferring to the latter the ex-Asia (plus Japan) rights to an experimental PD-1 inhibitor. The deal also saw Celgene offload its operations in China to BeiGene, putting down $150 million investment in the Chinese partner, giving it exclusive rights to sell some approved medications in China, including Revlimid.

Celgene is itself a loyal customer to Medidata, having recently expanded its usage of the Medidata Clinical Cloud to include three new products for clinical trial data analysis, source document verification and medical coding. A Rave customer since 2008, Celgene made Medidata Clinical Cloud its designated platform for all its clinical studies worldwide in early 2016.

Medidata has been expanding its presence in Asia, with offices in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore. Besides biopharma companies like BeiGene and Henlius Biotech, some of its partners in China also include CROs WuXi AppTec and R&G PharmaStudies, and research institutions like Peking University Clinical Research Institute.