Velocity Clinical Research, the leading multi-specialty clinical research organization, has partnered with Verified Clinical Trials (VCT) to set a new benchmark for patient safety and data quality in clinical trials through a new technological implementation at Velocity’s 80+ global sites.
The collaboration addresses a critical industry challenge: the double enrollment of participants in multiple studies simultaneously across all clinical sites. Such occurrences can jeopardize patient health, compromise data integrity, and increase the cost of drug development for Sponsors and CROs. Due to the fragmented nature of clinical trial sites, technological solutions addressing the problem of double patient enrollment have been limited so far.
Nick Spittal, Chief Operations Officer at Velocity said, “At Velocity, we prioritize doing the right thing. Clinical trial protocols exist to protect participants, but navigating eligibility requirements can be confusing. Some participants may inadvertently enroll in multiple trials, putting themselves and the research at risk. By adopting Verified Clinical Trials’ solution across our 80+ global sites, we’re taking decisive action to address this issue on a global level.
“This partnership ensures that our Sponsors receive the highest quality data while safeguarding participant safety, and is just another example of how scaling for a purpose introduces new benefits to the clinical research industry at large.”
VCT’s advanced participant verification technology is being implemented across Velocity sites so that no participant can enroll in two studies at once either within Velocity’s site network or outside of it, which is a key safeguard for maintaining safety and data reliability. This cutting-edge system flags participants already engaged in another trial, helping prevent potential side effects caused by the interaction of two investigational products and preserving the validity of trial results.
Dr. Mitchell Efros, Cofounder and CEO of VCT, added, “Velocity’s decision to implement this system across all their sites across four countries and two continents underscores their leadership in patient safety and data integrity. This initiative is a powerful response to the growing issue of duplicate enrollment and professional participants, setting a higher standard for the industry.”
Double enrollment is a widespread issue with significant implications. Duplicate participation can increase R&D costs by millions of dollars to Sponsors and CROs by delaying the development of life-saving treatments. The risk to patient safety is equally alarming, as individuals may unknowingly expose themselves to dangerous drug interactions or excessive testing. Velocity’s proactive implementation of this system exemplifies its commitment to ensuring both participant well-being and the integrity of clinical research.
Justin Goodarz, Chief Commercial Officer at VCT, said, “Understanding a participant’s current and past research history has been a longstanding challenge in our industry. Our partnership with Velocity addresses this gap by providing real-time insights into participant eligibility, ensuring transparency and reducing risks that could compromise trial outcomes.”
The partnership has been made possible by site technology leader Advarra, whose clinical trial management system, Clinical Conductor, enables seamless processing of enrollment status data with VCT via its API.
This seamless integration streamlines pre-screening and verification processes, reducing administrative burden while enhancing accuracy. Sponsors and CROs working with Velocity benefit from the added assurance of high-quality data and robust patient protections.
