BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : DECEMBER 11, 2000 ISSUE
BUSINESS WEEK E.BIZ -- SPECIAL REPORT Testing Drugs at Web Speed Information technology can't yet shorten the time it takes to test a new medicine in humans. But the Web can dramatically cut costs and hasten the process of setting up trials and analyzing the results. Here's how: FINDING PATIENTS AND DOCTORS: Recruiting patients--and doctors to test drugs on them--is a major hurdle. But victims of disease can use the Web to find relevant trials and learn if they are eligible. Drugmakers also can tap vast databases to help locate patients with certain conditions, or doctors able to run trials. COLLECTING DATA: Doctors can post data directly on Web pages equipped with software that spots mistakes, including contradictory data. Since the company sponsoring the trial can monitor the data on the Web, there's less need to send overseers to the clinical trial sites. GETTING FDA APPROVAL: Electronic data records cut weeks or months off the time needed to learn if a drug works. New software also helps drugmakers write up the results simultaneously for multiple regulatory agencies, speeding review. Earlier approval can mean more than a million dollars of extra revenue per day for companies with key drugs. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					e.biz Contents for Dec. 11, 2000 issue RELATED ITEMS An Rx for Drug Trials TABLE: Testing Drugs at Web Speed INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

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