Study Connect, a new mobile app from Merge eClinical, allows eClinicalOS (eCOS) users to perform a wide array of clinical trial management functions from their iOS-based mobile devices.

Seamlessly integrated with eCOS, Study Connect(TM) enables researchers to:

• Manage randomization of subjects

• Coordinate dispensing and inventory management

• Unblind individual subjects, as circumstances warrant

• Stay connected with real-time customized notifications

• Monitor enrollment and establish milestone alerts

• Share top-level statistics for each study with key stakeholders using the study dashboard

• Expedite approval response times for critical study decisions such as patient study eligibility

• Maintain security with the ability to set customized role-based permissions for individual studies.

"We're pushing the boundaries of what's possible in a mobile environment for clinical researchers," said Zaher El-Assi, president of Merge eClinical. "More and more, researchers need to be able to perform virtually any study task from their tablets and smartphones. Managing study decisions and being notified of adverse events alone would make for a useful mobile EDC, but Study Connect gives eCOS users so much more. It really serves as a natural extension of their desktops and laptops."

According to Mr. El-Assi, while there are a handful of mobile clinical research apps on the market, nearly all are limited solely to patient-reporting functions.

"With more studies being conducted at multiple sites across multiple time zones around the world, it's critical that researchers not just be able to monitor crucial study variables, but also to respond to them in real time," he said. "There are few, if any, other industries where the consequences of the old 'time-is-money' adage are felt more acutely than in drug development. By giving eCOS users more power to do more tasks while on the go, we're helping them make the most of every minute."

Mr. El-Assi noted that in many less-developed countries cellular networks are often more reliable than electricity, meaning that vital study functions need not cease when power grids fail.

Study Connect is available in the App Store and can be reached through this link. Designed to work on both the iPad(TM) and iPhone(TM), Study Connect can be integrated into existing trials through the Clinical Configurator, the company's exclusive online tool for the planning and budgeting of studies on the eCOS platform.

"While Merge eClinical is exceptionally proud to be among the first EDC providers to offer true mobile study management capabilities, we've only scratched the surface of what's possible," said Mr. El-Assi. "Our R&D team is already working on the next update to Study Connect, and we're excited to see what ideas eCOS users send to us on how they think we can make it an even more useful app for them."