FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Global CRO Strengthens Long-standing Partnership with EDC Leader to Meet Customer Demand for Medidata Rave and Add Services around Best-in-Class EDC Solution for Sponsors
NEW YORK, NY and RALEIGH, NC – November 30, 2009 – Medidata Solutions (NASDAQ: MDSO), a leading global provider of hosted clinical development solutions, today announced that PRA International, a global clinical research organization (CRO), has achieved Rave Accredited Plus status in the ASPire to Win® program for CROs and other service providers. The highest achievable tier in the program, Rave Accredited Plus enables PRA to independently offer its customers a full suite of services around the Medidata Rave® electronic data capture (EDC) and clinical data management (CDM) platform, including end-user training, study build, reporting, outputs, integrations and migrations.
A full-service contract research organization (CRO) with more than 3,100 global employees, PRA International conducts clinical trials in more than 75 countries across six continents and provides services through all phases of clinical development. PRA has extensive experience delivering more than 150 EDC trials across six continents and started working with Medidata in 2000 as one of Medidata’s first CRO go-to-market partners. PRA formalized its partnership through the ASPire to Win program in 2008. This latest accreditation brings PRA to 18 fully trained Rave database developers, enhancing PRA’s ability to support its clients’ EDC needs around the globe.
“PRA’s approach of delivering services across a suite of industry-leading clinical technologies is built on the foundation of technically skilled staff,” said Mary Mattes, Executive Director of Data Management at PRA International. “Achieving the Rave Accredited Plus status in the Medidata partner program gives us a substantial number of staff members with Rave expertise and allows us to deliver key EDC service offerings to our sponsors.”
“As CROs continue to serve as a major influencer of clinical technology adoption, we are proud to partner with a company that places such strong value on the delivery of best-in-class solutions to sponsors worldwide,” said Graham Bunn, Vice President of Global CRO Partnerships at Medidata Solutions. “PRA’s accreditation and the expansion of its Medidata Rave-trained team will enable PRA to respond to sponsor demand for Medidata Rave and continue to grow its global customer base.”
Medidata first announced ASPire to Win in April 2005 as a partner program designed to enable select CROs and other service providers to offer Medidata Rave implementation services. Since then, ASPire to Win has grown to include more than 20 partners, ranging from smaller clinical consultancies to large, global CROs. The program offers the choice of four enablement levels—Rave Aware, Rave Ready, Rave Accredited and Rave Accredited Plus. For more information about the ASPire to Win program, visit www.mdsol.com/partnerships/cros.htm.
About PRA International
PRA performs studies in all therapeutic areas, with specialization in oncology, neurosciences, respiratory/allergy, cardiovascular and infectious diseases. PRA has supported over 2,100 clinical trials through its 36 global offices. PRA’s therapeutic expertise, global reach and project experience, combined with extensive local knowledge and its differentiating PERSONAL ELEMENT enable its project teams to deliver consistent and on-time performance for clients. This unique PRA philosophy—THE PERSONAL ELEMENT—recognizes that true client service comes only from trained, empowered and dedicated employees who are encouraged to use innovation and their personal commitment to accelerate the development life cycle. To learn more about PRA International, please visit http://www.prainternational.com or call the world headquarters at +1 (919) 786-8200.
About Medidata Solutions Worldwide
Medidata Solutions (www.mdsol.com) is a leading global provider of hosted clinical development solutions that enhance the efficiency of customers’ clinical development processes and optimize their research and development investments. Medidata products and services allow customers to achieve clinical results more efficiently and effectively by streamlining the design, planning and management of key aspects of the clinical development process, including protocol development (Medidata Designer®), investigator benchmarking and budgeting (Medidata Grants Manager™), contract research organization (CRO) benchmarking and budgeting (Medidata CRO Contractor™), and the capture, management, analysis and reporting of clinical trial data (Medidata Rave®). Medidata’s diverse customer base spans pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, academic institutions, CROs and other research organizations, and includes more than 20 of the top 25 global pharmaceutical companies.
Contact:
Susan McCarron
Lois Paul & Partners
781.782.5767
Susan_McCarron@lpp.com
Roger Boutin
PRA International
434.951.3924
BoutinRoger@PRAIntl.com