Exco In Touch is using mobile tech to expand its efforts to aid pharmaceutical companies with drug testing.
A Nottingham drug trial firm, based in Edwalton, is utilizing mobile technology to oversee patients who are participating in clinical trials for new drugs.
The company has grown substantially over the course of six years.
Exco In Touch’s turnover has evolved from a few hundred thousand pounds to £5 million (over US$8 million) since 2008 and it is likely to continue its climb this year. The company is in high demand as its client base includes over half of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies.
At present, the firm has 60 staff, 40 at its Wheatcroft Business Park location and 20 overseas in the United States. Its current objective is to boost its team by a third at the Wheatcroft Business Park.
Exco’s mobile technology works on a range of devices.
Doctor and entrepreneur Neil Rotherham, the firm’s executive chairman, who co-founded ClinPhone (which has since been purchased by an American company and renamed Perceptive Informatics) said Exco In Touch uses “sophisticated technology to interact directly with the patient.” ClinPhone utilized a telephone-based technology in a similar way, but Exco’s technology is far more advanced.
The company’s software platform is compatible with laptops, mobile phones and tablets. It allows the drug testing firm to maintain contact with new drug trial participants, collect data on their progress and help participants to meet trial requirements.
“What we’ve designed is a system which uses technology that fits in with people’s lifestyles and helps them to complete the trial in the right time, the right order and producing the right data,” said Dr. Rotherham. He stated that obtaining clinical trial information accurately and in a well-timed manner “has become increasingly important for regulatory reasons.” He added that collecting that information on paper is not as accurate or as timely as it is compared to a digital and mobile method.
There is a lot of potential for mobile technology or m-health to aid people who suffer from chronic health conditions and diseases. It can help them manage their health and assist doctors in monitoring patients. Dr. Rotherham believes that mhealth technology will help people better manage their illnesses and lower the stress on healthcare.
