ICON and DuPage Medical Group announce clinical research partnership

ICON plc, a global provider of drug development and commercialization solutions and services, today announced that PMG Research, Inc., part of ICON Site and Patient Recruitment, and DuPage Medical Group of Chicago, Illinois have finalized a Master Agreement formalizing a clinical research partnership. Effective May 2018, PMG Research will assume the research infrastructure at the DuPage Medical Group.

The expansion of the PMG Research network enhances ICON's ability to increase access and engagement with investigator sites and patients, helping customers to reduce the overall time and cost associated with drug development. The addition of DuPage Medical Group provides investigator and patient access in the greater Chicago area, while bringing clinical research as a care option to the communities served.

DuPage Medical Group is the largest independent, multi-specialty physician group in the Chicagoland area, with practice sites in more than 100 locations in DuPage, Cook, Grundy, Kane, Kendall and Will Counties. DuPage Medical Group provides patients with access to more than 700 physicians in over 50 clinical specialties ranging from primary care to specialty care in areas such as cardiology and oncology.

"Enrolling and engaging patients in clinical trials continues to be one of the biggest challenges within drug development. Our partnership with DuPage Medical Group extends our ability to help customers enhance clinical trial feasibility and improve patient enrollment timelines whilst also giving patients access to a broader range of care options through clinical trials." Commented EB McLindon, Senior Vice President, Site & Patient Recruitment, ICON. "We are committed to enhancing engagement with sites, patients and healthcare providers to take significant time and cost from our customers' development programs."

Dr. Paul Merrick, President of DuPage Medical Group, agrees, "Through this collaboration, additional communities in Illinois, along with more of DuPage Medical Group's patients, will have increased access to clinical research in a broad range of therapeutic areas. The integration of clinical research into patient care as a result of partnerships between healthcare institutions and clinical research site organizations delivers additional benefits and innovative solutions to the drug development process; both patients and healthcare providers will ultimately see lowered costs and faster time to market for potentially life-saving medications, vaccines, and medical devices."

Dr. Paul Merrick continues, "DuPage Medical Group has participated in clinical trials and research over the last 13 years in many specialty areas including dermatology, cardiology, gastroenterology, spine and otolaryngology. Joining forces with ICON will allow us to continue to expand access in other areas including oncology and will play an integral role in advancing the treatment options available to our patients and the communities we serve."