Accelerated Enrollment Solutions (AES), a business of PPD, Inc. has launched a new program to help biopharma companies maintain business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic by transferring clinical trial patients to AES’ dedicated research sites from other research facilities impacted by the coronavirus crisis.
 
As academic and hospital-based sites address the front-line care of COVID-19 patients, and as independent sites experience diminished operating capacity related to COVID-19 concerns, biopharmaceutical companies face the prospect of delaying or canceling clinical trials of a wide variety of potential new medicines and ending patient participation in those trials. AES’ patient-transfer program is designed to address this issue through its global site organization, which includes dedicated research sites committed exclusively to clinical research.
 
With more than 180 research locations in 17 countries, AES has a broad global footprint that can support the transfer of patients, which ultimately depends on the sites’ proximity to the patients and their ability to support the trial protocol.
 
AES sites are operating under governments’ essential-business provisions and following official public health recommendations, including from the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, AES is following COVID-19-related guidance from the U.S. FDA and EMA to accommodate the transfer of patients between study sites.