CRO BioClinica inked a deal to acquire MediciGroup, a patient recruitment and retention outfit that uses technology to keep subjects engaged in trials and minimize dropouts.
Under the deal, BioClinica is trading an undisclosed sum for the company and its affiliates, MediciGlobal and Access to Patients. Founded in 1992, Medici makes its money by matching sponsors and CROs with ideal patients for trials, maintaining online groups of people around the world with specific conditions. In addition to its recruitment technology, the company offers a patient-location service designed to track down study participants who don't come back for follow-ups, boosting trial retention.
The company has run more than 200 programs for drugmakers and CROs, and Medici has repeatedly worked with BioClinica on study enrollment. Combining Medici's capacity with BioClinica's technology for risk-based monitoring, the two companies believe they can quicken the pace of study startup for sponsors.
"When we integrate our recruitment metrics with BioClinica's system, we can manage clinical trials in real time," Medici founder and CEO Liz Moench said in a statement. "This enables us to monitor enrollment rates by sites and drive performance at all levels--recruitment marketing and site performance from start to end."
Meanwhile, the acquisitive BioClinica has been splashing cash to expand its capabilities and grow its market share. Last year, BioClinica acquired Blueprint Clinical and its cloud-based tool for tracking and scoring clinical trial sites. Months before, it bought CCBR-Synarc in a deal that stretched BioClinica's focus to include medical imaging and specialty services for clinical trials.
BioClinica, which is privately held, said its trial technology revenue jumped 51% last year, reflecting a spike in Big Pharma's adoption of new trial technologies. The company reported 25 new partnerships last year and now boasts a client roster of more than 150, and its buyouts have grown its payroll to more than 1,300 people around the world.
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