ERT Milestones
ERT (eResearchTechnology, Inc.) has a long and rich history.
1972, Cardio Data Systems founded: Offers analysis of ambulatory (Holter) electrocardiograms.
1975, First research Holter study: Company conducts its first research Holter study project on an anti-arrhythmic agent. By the end of the year, the company has successfully expanded into the research market and is the largest U.S. provider of Holter monitoring services for pharmaceutical companies evaluating cardiovascular drugs for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
1979, Landmark cardiovascular study: Company analyzes 4,500 Holter recordings for the National Institutes of Health’s Beta Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT), the landmark cardiovascular study which results in the recommendation to use the drug propranolol for at least three years in patients who have had a recent heart attack and who need to have their heart rate slowed down. The company also begins electronically encoding Holter data in an anti-arrhythmic drug trial sponsored by a major pharmaceutical company.
1987, U.K. expansion: Cardio Data Systems, Ltd. expands to the United Kingdom to satisfy the needs of international pharmaceutical researchers for trans-Atlantic standards for Holter and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) data collection, analysis and reporting. The operations are based in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire.
1990, 12-Lead ECGs: Company initiates special computer analysis for a cardiologist to measure changes on the electrocardiogram. Cardio Data Systems Research Division changes its name to CDSResearch due to its continued diversification of Holter, ECG and clinical laboratory services to non-cardiovascular therapeutic groups. The company also begins offering a full range of standard and esoteric clinical laboratory tests with rapid turnaround of results.
1993, Move to Philadelphia: In January, the company’s name is changed to CDSResearchWorldwide, in recognition of its extension of marketing efforts to all pharmaceutical therapeutic groups and emerging technology companies, plus its increased participation in global studies. In February, a 45-bed Clinical Research Unit, located in Center City Philadelphia, was opened for conducting inpatient and outpatient pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic and other Phase I studies.
1995, Addition of clinical trial management capabilities: CDSResearchWorldwide adds clinical trial management capabilities by forming a limited liability company, Premier Research LLC, with a large voluntary hospital buying group, PREMIER, Inc.
1997, Acquisition of DLB Systems, Ltd.: In February, Premier Research Worldwide (PRWW, Ltd.) becomes a publicly-held company trading on the NASDAQ National Market System under the symbol PRWW. In October, PRWW acquires the assets and business of DLB Systems, Ltd., a provider of clinical trial and data management software, support and information technology consulting services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and device industries.
1999, Focus on technology-based solutions: PRWW sells its domestic CRO operations in order to focus exclusively on providing technology-based solutions to the clinical trials market.
2000, Formation of eResearchTechnology, Inc. (eRT): In January, PRWW forms eResearchTechnology, Inc. (eRT) as a wholly owned subsidiary. PRWW contributes its technology and operating businesses to eRT in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding common stock of eRT. In April, 2001, the Company’s ticker symbol is changed to ERES.
2003, FDA Commissioner’s Citation received: The FDA Commissioner’s Citation recognizes ERT’s collaboration with other industry leaders in the definition of the XML digital ECG waveform format.
2007, Acquisition of Covance Cardiac Safety Services (CCSS): CCSS is part of Covance, which is the largest clinical research organization in the world. Under the 10-year agreement, all business units of Covance will exclusively offer ERT’s centralized ECG services to their clients.
2007, Launch of ERT’s ePRO line of business: ERT acquires the licenses of the key assets of Healthcare Technology Systems, Inc. (HTS), launching its ePRO line of business. The acquisition includes the HTS interactive voice response system and 57 clinical assessments, many of which are proprietary.
2007, Launch of EXPERT Technology Platform (Formerly EXPERT® 2): The next generation of ERT’s industry-leading technology platform represents significant advances in scalable capacity, intelligent and efficient workflows, and data security — all housed in a centralized, global system.
2008, Completion of 100th Thorough QT Study (TQT): “Coupling our TQT expertise with our breadth and depth in the Phase III environment allows us to continue driving value for our sponsors, helping them reach their final regulatory hurdles with robust, high-quality cardiac safety data. It is the lack of this data that remains the most significant barrier to final drug approval, and ERT is proud of our achievement in reaching this important 100th TQT milestone,” says Dr. Michael McKelvey, president and CEO of ERT.
2008, CDISC certification received: ERT receives certification from the Clinical Data Interface Standards Consortium (CDISC) for ERT’s EDC product (formerly EXPERT® Data Capture), which complies with CDISC's Operational Data Model (ODM), the industry standard for clinical data acquisition and archiving. The ODM standard is gaining increasing recognition as the ideal data-transport method across the entire clinical trial enterprise.
2008, CIO 100 Award received: CIO magazine evaluates the use of creative and cutting-edge uses of technology to generate business value in a range of companies spanning every industry from private organizations with $1 million or more in revenue to multibillion-dollar global powerhouses. ERT demonstrates an ability to create new value using IT and to execute the project well and in uncommon, innovative ways: pioneering a new technology, applying a familiar technology to a new purpose and setting the bar higher for their competitors. In short, this award signifies companies who are technology leaders.
2008, Launch of New Branding and Move to New Corporate Office: As a forward-looking organization, we are committed to redefining and changing for the better how clinical trials are successfully conducted — ultimately helping those whose lives depend upon our contributions and our clients’ ability to bring safe products to market. As part of ERT’s journey to continually evolve the company, we have taken significant steps to enhance our brand — including a sharpened positioning, new logo, visual identity, communications and much more. We believe that these steps better reflect who we are, what we believe in and where we are going — and will ensure that we remain a trusted and compelling resource for our clients.
As part of our continued growth, we have also moved into a larger U.S. corporate headquarters at 1818 Market Street in Philadelphia to better meet our current and future business needs.
2009, ERT Honored with Best New Product Award: ERT's ePRO division receives Best New Product at the 2009 European Outsourcing Awards for Suicidality Monitoring Solution. The EOA Awards are designed to recognize new and significant developments in contract services and reward successful companies for their outstanding contributions throughout the year. The panel of EOA judges was impressed with the innovation shown by ERT in the development of its Suicidality Monitoring solution. ERT's solution overcomes many of the challenges associated with monitoring suicidal tendencies during clinical trials and significantly improves patient safety throughout the clinical trial lifecycle.
