Medidata extends Grants Manager web-based budgeting application with new Contracting module

Medidata Solutions (NASDAQ: MDSO), a leading global provider of SaaS-based clinical development solutions, today extended the Grants Manager^® web-based budgeting application with a new Contracting module, enabling sites and sponsors to negotiate clinical trial site budgets directly online, eliminating the burden of managing hundreds of email messages and reducing budgeting cycle times. Trial managers will also be able to monitor site negotiation status by study, site or across the portfolio in real-time, bringing unprecedented visibility to the process of site recruitment.

“Grants Manager Contracting represents a significant opportunity to accelerate site recruitment by automating the arduous and manual back-and-forth between sponsors and sites during the clinical trial budget negotiation process, allowing sponsors to move seamlessly from planned budget to finalized site costs in less time”

Sponsors currently rely on Medidata Grants Manager for benchmark cost data to quickly and accurately develop site grant budgets. The new Contracting module provides a natural extension to the budgeting process by offering negotiating, reporting and management of contracting in an integrated, online environment.

"Grants Manager Contracting represents a significant opportunity to accelerate site recruitment by automating the arduous and manual back-and-forth between sponsors and sites during the clinical trial budget negotiation process, allowing sponsors to move seamlessly from planned budget to finalized site costs in less time," said Lori Shields, vice president of Medidata's Data Operations. "In managing to the overall budget, sponsors have been enthused with the visibility to real-time site negotiation data, including signaling the need for intervention if negotiations begin slipping against the project timetable or forecasted budget."

Grants Manager Contracting is the newest member of an expanding family of Medidata products that help speed clinical trial start-up and improve management. Contracting budget plans can be developed internally within Grants Manager or imported by sponsors that prepare their budget with other tools. Selected sites can immediately review the proposed budget online in a format that assists rapid understanding and facilitates negotiation and agreement. This in turn leads to more rapid site enrollment and improved site satisfaction. Ultimately, Grants Manager Contracting reduces overall study startup time by eliminating current manual tracking methods, reducing reliance on emails and spreadsheets, providing managers visibility of rollout progress, and offering sites an easily understood format for budget review.