Advarra Addresses Increase in COVID-19 Studies With Rapid Reviews in Support of Government and Industry Emergency Research

Advarra handles spike in coronavirus submissions, activates tech-enabled platform to support broad telework policy, and maintains normalized operations

(COLUMBIA, Md., March 16, 2020) – Advarra, the premier provider of institutional review board (IRB), institutional biosafety committee (IBC), research quality and compliance consulting services, and standards-based research technology solutions announces an average turnaround time of fewer than 5 days, from initial submission to full IRB approval for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) protocol reviews to date. The IRB has been prioritizing the review of COVID-19 studies and amendments relating to changes in research conduct because of unforeseen circumstances since mid-February.

“In addition to accelerating the reviews of critical trials for COVID-19, we have been able to maintain our industry-leading turnaround times for all clients in this environment,” said Jeff Wendel, Chief Operating Officer of Advarra. “Our commitment to advancing better research and providing uninterrupted service is our top priority.”

The company has also activated a full telework environment to protect staff and local communities against the spread of COVID-19. Advarra operates in 8 physical locations, 4 countries, and 37 states as part of its standard business practices; all staff are provided laptops, VOIP technology, and secure cloud storage of critical documents to ensure no business disruption during events that may call for office closures. In this case, Advarra is enabling staff in all offices to transition to work-from-home as a precaution in support of World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations for social distancing.

“We have extensive online collaboration capabilities for our employees to communicate with each other and with our customers. In addition, we use world-class data centers for both our corporate and product hosting infrastructure to ensure applications and support are always accessible,” said James Wurdeman, Chief Product Officer at Advarra. “This means whether our customers are using CIRBI, OnCore, or any other Advarra enterprise research technology, they can expect the highest level of reliability and support.”

Advarra’s robust business continuity process provides the ability to successfully deliver IRB, IBC, consulting, and research technology solutions with no impact to normal business operations.

“As a global company, we want to do our part to support our staff, local communities, and the clinical research industry at large during this pandemic,” said Scott Uebele, CFO of Advarra. “The health and safety of our employees and customers are paramount. The company will continue to assess this situation as it progresses, but Advarra believes that setting an example of social distancing in our respective communities is of the utmost importance. We are prepared and proud to be a partner in the clinical response to COVID-19.”

About Advarra
Advarra is the premier provider of global research compliance services, including IRB, IBC, consulting, and research technology products. Clinical trial sponsors and CROs recognize Advarra as the largest integrated provider of IRB services with the greatest institutional reach among health systems, cancer centers, academic medical centers, and investigators. Forte, now part of Advarra, is the industry’s leading provider of standards-based research technology, including OnCore CTMS. Advarra optimizes compliance and clinical trials with its robust regulatory expertise and innovative products and services. For more information, visit advarra.com.

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