Handheld PCs aid drugs tests

New drugs are being tested with the help of handheld computers

Drugs companies are turning to handheld computers to help them monitor the progress of clinical trials.

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is embarking on two pilot projects that will see subjects in trials given the small computers to gather better quality information about the effects of drugs.

At preset times, the handheld computers will prompt subjects to fill in a questionnaire describing symptoms they are feeling.

If the pilot schemes are successful, AstraZeneca will push forward with larger-scale trials.

Probing questions

Feedback from people taking part in clinical trials is hugely important for companies testing new drugs, as it helps to work out whether the novel medicine is safe and if it works better than the current alternatives.

AstraZeneca is turning to technology to help streamline the testing process and gather more accurate and timely information about the side effects of new drugs.

Drugs companies are keen to hear about side effects

Currently, the drugs giant makes subjects fill in paper-based surveys containing questions about the effects the drug is having on those taking it. But paper-based lists of questions have their drawbacks.

"Subjects often forget to complete them at the same time, or they do several at the same time," said Gill Glover, a technical architect for AstraZeneca, who is helping co-ordinate the project.

The surveys are being moved on to handheld computers running Microsoft's Pocket PC 2002 to ensure information is gathered at the right time.

Worthwhile investment

"This allows us to pinpoint individual answers to the questions, and lock them out of the survey if they have not completed it by a certain time," said Ms Glover.

The handhelds are also mobile phones and the information they gather is instantly relayed back to AstraZeneca so it can monitor how the trial is going.

Technology firm Conchango has designed the reporting system for AstraZeneca.

The questions stored in the handheld could be changed as the trial progresses, if the medical researchers want to focus on any particular side-effects or symptoms.

The handheld survey system was being tested on 20 subjects so AstraZeneca could check how cost effective it was, and whether the quality of the data being returned justified the investment, said Ms Glover.