Electronic data capture
(EDC) can reduce errors
in data going from an
investigative site to
a biopharmaceutical
company by 70 to 80 percent. EDC
technology can also cut database lock
times to a matter of hours, thus making
results available at the earliest possible
point in the process rather than
the typical four to eight weeks or
longer. Improving quality and shortening
timelines are at the heart of drug
development programs and clinical
trials within those programs. So, why
doesn’t everyone use EDC for all trials?
To address that question, we need to
explore the factors that go into selecting
and implementing such technologies,
including the current corporate use
of EDC tools and data standards. A
company that has not yet selected a
primary EDC tool and has not yet
developed end-to-end internal data
standards has an enormous opportunity
today—not only to take advantage of
the progress but to influence the future.
Gartner estimates that were all
companies to adopt EDC and data
standards, they have the potential to
save the industry as much as $6 billion
per year.1 Clearly, depending on how
and when they implement those initiatives,
each individual company could
also reap benefits.