Medable and Nova Scotia Health Deal: A Win for Oncology Patients

Medable Inc., the top technology platform for clinical trials, has partnered with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub to increase the accessibility of oncology care for remote patients in rural Nova Scotia. The two-year pilot study was launched in January 2023 to address the challenges of patient access and trial diversity across Canada, with the long-term aim to improve patient outcomes. Medable’s decentralized clinical trial (DCT) platform was chosen to facilitate the study.

Challenges of Rural Healthcare in Nova Scotia

For oncology patients living in rural parts of Nova Scotia, accessing follow-up care can be difficult, especially when it involves lengthy travel time and expenses. The study seeks to address this issue by providing differentiated thyroid cancer patients in the study with the ability to speak with a physician when they need it the most – from the comfort of their home. The initiative will help enhance access to clinical trials and medical care for remote patients, especially for those in rural areas.

Empowering Primary Care Providers

The initiative aims to empower primary care providers (PCP) to be more involved with their patients post-trial through a shared care model supported by DCT technologies. This approach will enable PCPs to provide long-term oncology monitoring and care that was previously only possible through specialists. By leveraging DCT technologies, the study hopes to provide improved prevention of cancer recurrence and increase diversity in clinical research.

Collaboration between Medable and Nova Scotia Health

Medable’s Total Consent Management and Televisit solutions will be used, along with other services, to facilitate the pilot study. Medable has deployed its software-as-a-service platform via more than 300 decentralized and hybrid clinical trials in 60 countries, serving more than one million patients and research participants globally. Medable’s customers have achieved impressive results with decentralized and hybrid trials – including 200 percent faster enrollment and 50 percent cost reductions.

Commentary from Leaders in the Collaboration

“We face numerous challenges to providing holistic care, including geographic distance, recruiting diverse patients, and a shortage of clinical researchers,” explained Dr. Ali Imran, the principal investigator for this study and physician for Nova Scotia Health.

“Nova Scotia Health is focused on conducting breakthrough research that brings meaningful outcomes to patients. We aspire to lead globally in identifying and implementing new technologies that facilitate those outcomes, especially in remote settings,” said Dr. Gail Tomblin Murphy, vice president, research, innovation and discovery, and chief nurse executive at Nova Scotia Health.

“The potential benefits are vast – from improved prevention of cancer recurrence to increased diversity in clinical research,” said Michelle Longmire, co-founder and CEO of Medable.

“With Medable at our side, we will be able to be a leader in the evolution of clinical trial execution, helping sponsors to conduct accessible clinical trials regardless of where patients live,” Dr. Tomblin Murphy concluded.

Benefits of Decentralized Trials

A recent 2022 financial modeling of DCTs using industry benchmark and Medable data conducted by the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development shows that, on average, decentralized trials can achieve net financial benefits ranging from five to 13 times for Phase II and Phase III trials, due to reduced trial timelines and other factors. The success of this pilot stands to be a game-changer far beyond the borders of Nova Scotia.

About Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub

The Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub is a premier hub for health research, innovation, and discovery in Atlantic Canada. The Innovation Hub team is driving the evolution of health care in the province thru all the strategic partnerships, cutting-edge research, and the best available evidence to deliver exceptional, creative solutions for patients and providers. This transformation is being viewed through a business development lens.

About Medable

Medable is leveraging revolutionary technology to expedite the provision of effective treatments to patients. By integrating digital tools, data, and interfaces and replacing isolated systems, the company’s digital platform optimizes trial design, recruitment, retention, and data quality for decentralized trials, resulting in faster trial execution. Medable fosters collaboration among sites, patients, and clinical trial teams to improve patient access, experience, and outcomes. The software developed by Medable has been acknowledged as a market Leader by both IDC and Everest Group. Medable, a privately held corporation with venture capital support, is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.

Engr. Dex Marco Tiu Guibelondo, BS Pharm, RPh, BS CpE

Editor-in-Chief, PharmaFEATURES