IRT. IVRS. IXRS. IWRS. RTSM

The pharmaceutical industry, not unlike many others, is full of acronyms. Some are industry recognized, others are specific to internal organizations. Most of the terms are just different flavors of the same thing. Wouldn’t it be nice if the industry could come together and agree on a uniform term?

We’ve been asked why we use RTSM (Randomization and Trial Supply Management) instead of IRT (Interactive Response Technology) when we talk about our software. Before I get into the “why” behind our chosen terminology, I wanted to provide some insight into the evolution of the aforementioned acronyms used throughout the history of these critical systems.