Contract researcher Westat has adopted the CoSign digital signature solution for use in clinical trials and for its software development team. The solution from ARX lets researchers sign digitally within the Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF and other document types they ordinarily use, according to an announcement.
Westat is among a growing number of CROs adopting the technology, which some see as "a competitive advantage, a way to get studies going more quickly," says Mollie Shields-Uehling, CEO at the SAFE-BioPharma Association, as we reported in June. Digital signatures are considered a step above electronic ones in the security they provide. They're also more defensible in court than other forms of electronic signatures, according to privacy and data security lawyer Randy Sabett of Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal.
Westat says it will use the solution for site monitoring reports, IRB forms and training requirements forms. Outside the clinic, it will be used for sign-offs on project plans, software development lifecycle documents, internal audit reports, archiving forms, project plans and expense reports.
- see the Westat release