Thermo Fisher expands real‑world data ties

Thermo Fisher Scientific said on April 13 that its PPD clinical-research business is partnering with HealthVerity to add more real-world patient data to drug studies. (ppd.com) The deal gives PPD enterprise access to HealthVerity’s TaXOnomy claims dataset, which the companies said covers more than 270 million de-identified patient lives across the United States healthcare system. (businesswire.com) Real-world data is information generated during routine care, such as insurance claims, lab results and medical records, rather than from controlled clinical trials alone. HealthVerity says its marketplace connects more than 75 data sources across claims, electronic health records and laboratory data. (healthverity.com) Thermo Fisher and HealthVerity said the data will be used for study design, patient recruitment, feasibility work and post-approval evidence generation for biopharmaceutical clients. Karen Kaucic, Thermo Fisher’s president of patient and advisory services and chief medical officer for clinical research, said the aim is to “power smarter, more agile development.” (healthverity.com) The agreement extends a data buildout Thermo Fisher started earlier this year. On February 11, Thermo Fisher announced a separate collaboration with Datavant to link real-world datasets with clinical research using encrypted token technology. (ppd.com) That Datavant tie-up was pitched around connecting patient-level records across more sources without exposing identities. Thermo Fisher said the system would support randomized trials, its CorEvitas registries and Evidera evidence services. (datavant.com) The new HealthVerity partnership shows where large contract research and life-science suppliers are spending: not only on labs, trial operations and instruments, but also on the data layers that sit around them. Applied Clinical Trials called the HealthVerity deal the latest in a series of Thermo Fisher partnerships expanding its real-world-data infrastructure. (appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com) HealthVerity, based in Philadelphia, was founded in 2014 and has built its business around matching and exchanging privacy-protected healthcare data. Its pitch to drugmakers is that broader linked datasets can show disease patterns, treatment use and outcomes in routine care. (crunchbase.com) For Thermo Fisher, the message in April is consistent across both deals: PPD is being positioned as a clinical-research business that sells data access and evidence services alongside trial execution. (ppd.com)