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Sanofi targets real-world evidence with Aetion, Mercy deploy's Bright.md's virtual care tool and more digital health deals

Also: ActiGraph integrates with Signant Health; AiCure's adherence tool supports Syneos Health's clinical trials.
By Dave Muoio
03:12 pm
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Sanofi is merging its real-world data platform with New York startup Aetion’s similar evidence platform to augment its treatment development and deployment efforts, the companies announced today. Sanofi’s DARWIN platform will provide a substantial body of de-identified patient data, which the Aetion Evidence Platform will analyze those information for insights on drug effectiveness, safety and value.

“Today marks another important step in Sanofi’s digital transformation,” Dr. Bernard Hamelin, global head of medical evidence generation at Sanofi, said in a statement. “By integrating these platforms, we strive to make faster, more informed decisions with the potential to lead to first-in-class and best-in-class treatments that could change the practice of medicine.”


Bright.md’s online triage and virtual care platform will soon be deployed across Mercy’s health system, the companies announced last week. The startup’s tool is intended to handle remote patients with relatively minor health concerns, thereby freeing up the system’s providers to direct their focus on patients with more pressing needs.

“Mercy is committed to creating a system of care focused on the needs of those we serve, when and where they need health care,” Dr. Gavin Helton, Mercy’s SVP of population health, said in a statement. "Through functionality enabled by Bright.md, we can enhance access to high-quality Mercy care to our current patients and expand our outreach to people we aren’t currently serving.”


ActiGraph’s FDA-cleared sleep and activity monitoring tech is now at the heart of Signant Health’s electronic clinical outcome assessment platform TrialMax thanks to a new arrangement between the companies. This integration allows researchers to collect and record these data via connected research-grade wearables.

"It's important that patients continue to experience trials that benefit them without burdening them,” Bill Byrom, Signant Health’s VP of product strategy and innovation, said in a statement. “Using ActiGraph's devices not only provides a simple and efficient experience for patients, it also simplifies and streamlines trials for sites and sponsors while offering better data and insights."  


Syneos Health, a biopharmaceutical organization that houses a contract research organization and a contract commercial organization, is expanding an ongoing strategic partnership with AiCure to streamline clinical trials and improve patient engagement. AiCure, which recently collected new funds, will provide its software’s unique ability to evaluate facial, verbal and other movement variables to Syneos’ projects, alongside dashboards and other tools to improve operational efficiency during clinical trials.

“The AiCure platform aligns with our unique product development model that harnesses behavioral insights to unlock real world experiences,” Alistair Macdonald, CEO of Syneos Health, said in a statement. “By deploying the AiCure platform to our investigative sites, we create insights-enriched patient communities to advance clinical research. This collaboration reinforces our Dynamic Assembly philosophy where we join forces with the latest and most agile data and technology partners to address our customers’ needs.”


Hot on the heels of some M&A news, AI monitoring and decision support platform Biofourmis announced that it would be teaming up with pharma giant Novartis for the commercial rollout of a platform that uses predictive analytics to manage heart failure in patient populations.

The technology will use Biofourmis’ AI and the recently acquired Everion sensor, and will take the form of a product to help predict and analyze drug therapy. The companies will start with the commercial roll out in Asia with plans to expand to the US and beyond. 

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