EDC vendor Phase Forward has announced its acquisition of trial data management firm Clinsoft.
Phase Forward, an electronic data capture (EDC) vendor, has announced its acquisition of Clinsoft, an established clinical trial data management vendor. Phase Forward will now offer a web-based solution that integrates its own front-end system, the InForm solution, with a well-established back-end clinical data management system, Clinsoft’s Clintrial. The acquisition also complements Phase Forward’s offerings with Clintrace, Clinsoft’s adverse events reporting software.
According to Phase Forward, the opportunity to capitalize on Clinsoft’s vast customer base, including Glaxo SmithKline, Novartis, AstraZeneca, Aventis, Sanofi, Schering-Plough, Bayer, Otsuka and Schering AG, and Clinsoft’s experience in the pharmaceutical industry were both major factors in the decision to acquire the company.
The merger is not surprising given the complimentary nature of the two companies. Phase Forward, with its aggressive marketing capabilities, is probably the most well-known front-end application for electronic data capture. By acquiring the system that its InForm frequently interfaces with, Phase Forward can now move forward, pursuing new functionalities, such as clinical trial libraries, data warehousing and trend analysis solutions.
Meanwhile, Clinsoft (known as Domain Pharma until February 2001), which has been much less aggressive on the marketing front, has a depth of experience with leading pharmaceutical companies in their back-end management of R&D data. Both companies, in previous interviews with Datamonitor, have cited expansion across all facets of eR&D functions as an important long-term strategy. With this acquisition, both companies move closer to that goal.
