VirTrial announced its selection by BetterLife Pharma Inc. as its telehealth platform provider of choice. The partnership will enable BetterLife to conduct remote patient monitoring for their imminent COVID-19 clinical trials in Australia to test the efficacy of AP-003, a proprietary interferon-alpha 2b formulation.

BetterLife’s decision to proceed with VirTrial was based on VirTrial platform's ability to satisfy three key selection criteria: the capability to work with their choice of sites, prioritize safety for their patients and site staff by mitigating COVID-19 risks and facilitating an open consultation for patient qualification and consent.

A primary feature of the VirTrial platform that will be used during the study is virtual visits – a combination of secure video, audio, chat and messaging, which can be used on any device. Incorporating virtual visits facilitates BetterLife to evaluate, qualify and routinely monitor both patients and research sites for studies without physical travel.

Unlike other clinical trial vendors that began as technology companies, VirTrial has a robust team of clinical research experts and knowledgeable tech entrepreneurs collaborating together to lead the company towards providing the human population with remote access to clinical research sites.

Dr Ahmad Doroudian, CEO of BetterLife, said, “Considering the constantly changing restrictions on travel due to COVID-19, we felt that this was the best option for us to proceed without delay with our patient trials. We feel that partnering with an innovative company like VirTrial will assist us in virtually monitoring patients who may or may not be able to travel to our clinical sites owing to self-isolation at home.”

Mark Hanley, CEO of VirTrial, commented, “The sites are excited about the opportunity to be part of the solution for a true and present need and appreciate the benefit of being able to conduct the study via a fully remote DCT to eliminate any risk to employees.”

Dr Ahmad Doroudian added, ‘’It is exciting to know that we are making use of technology that allows us to safely deliver and monitor the efficacy of AP-003 for patients in the comfort of their homes. Patients will have an easier time committing to the rigours of a clinical trial knowing that they can participate from their home.”