Covance And Frenova Partner To Study Kidney And Renal Diseases
Global drug development services company Covance announced its collaboration with Frenova Renal Research to study and discover more effective therapies for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD).
The alliance will take advantage of Covance’s analytics capabilities to research Frenova’s database, which contains data on nearly 400,000 patients with CKD and almost a million patients with ESRD. The partnership aims to determine which treatments are most effective for kidney patients. The information will also be used to advance understanding of CKD and ESRD and the efficacy of their medications and treatment patterns. Comparative safety and efficacy of the therapies will also be studied. Through Covance and Frenova’s collaboration, new drug sponsors will be able to evaluate protocol feasibility and determine optimal sample size. Drug makers will also be assisted in the selection of study sites and targeted patient recruitment.
Kurt Mussina, VP and general manager for Frenova Renal Research, said, “Combining our data with Covance’s analytics capabilities will provide scientists the opportunity to do research that can lead the way to real breakthroughs in patient care.”
Marc Ginsky, VP and general manager for Covance Market Access Services, said, “Health care providers, biopharmaceutical and device companies, patients, and payers will all benefit from the pairing of Covance’s analytics expertise and the incredibly rich real-world clinical data collected by Frenova Renal Research. Not only will this better inform treatment and care guidelines, but it has the potential to also inform clinical trial design and drug development.” Ginsky added that the partners will explore the safety and efficacy of treatments in real life and directly compare therapies in the full range of patients.
The companies also said that they will aim to provide insights on how to slow down progressive chronic kidney disease and prevent the need for dialysis for certain patients.
Earlier this month, Covance revealed that it sold off its antibody business to BioLegend for an undisclosed sum and will be increasing its focus on in vitro diagnostics development.