ClinPhone and HTS Introduce New Memory Enhancing Technique to Improve Reliability of Clinical Trial Results

ClinPhone and Healthcare Technology Systems Inc. (HTS) introduce MERET® (Memory Enhanced Retrospective Evaluation of Treatment), an innovative, patent-pending methodology to complement ClinPhone’s electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (ePRO) solutions.

MERET®, developed by HTS and licensed to ClinPhone, is a powerful and novel technique that uses audio recordings made by patients to improve recollection of their condition at the start of the study. By assisting patients to accurately remember their pre-treatment condition, MERET® enhances the ability of patients to perceive the magnitude of their change in symptoms or condition, thereby enhancing the integrity and accuracy of the trial results.

Patient Reported Outcomes data are becoming increasingly important in clinical trials and regulatory submissions. These data include symptom diaries, objective performance measurements and a wide range of validated clinical assessments. Patient Reported Outcomes are often dependent on patients accurately recalling past experiences, particularly for lengthy trials where the goal is to assess change over time. However, the reconstructive nature of memory makes direct recall increasingly difficult with the passage of time.

MERET® overcomes this problem by utilizing ClinPhone’s market-leading Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology to facilitate accurate self-evaluation of longitudinal changes in clinical conditions. HTS validated MERET® in a recent multi-site, double blind, placebo-controlled study involving 74 patients. MERET® produced a 16.3% larger drug-placebo treatment effect size compared to standard procedures. Patients with major depressive episodes were asked to describe their emotional and physical feelings and their ability to function prior to starting drug therapy. These descriptions were recorded using IVR. Several weeks later, their personal recordings were played back to the patients before they rated perceptions of clinical improvement. MERET® ratings increased patients’ awareness of the effectiveness of active drug treatment with minimal influence on perceptions of improvement from placebo treatment, thereby illustrating its unique capability to increase separation of placebo and active drug treatments.

Steve Kent, CEO at ClinPhone comments: “Bringing MERET® to market reinforces the thought leadership of HTS and ClinPhone as forefront companies in research and development of innovative technology solutions in the electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (ePRO) arena.” This latest service builds upon ClinPhone’s Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology and complements its existing product range. ClinPhone provides a wide range of ground-breaking solutions, including ePRO, Randomization and Supply Chain Management, which enable its customers to manage their clinical trials more effectively through the use of technology.

For further information on ClinPhone’s clinical trial management solutions, please visit www.clinphone.com, or alternatively email info@clinphone.com