IQVIA Collaborates with Australian Medical Research Institute on COVID-19 Study to Support Frontline Healthcare Workers

Randomized, double-blind clinical study will test Hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic treatment to prevent high-risk healthcare workers from contracting COVID-19

DANBURY, Conn. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--IQVIA™ (NYSE: IQV) today announced that the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, a leading biomedical research organization in Australia, has selected IQVIA to manage COVID SHIELD, a Phase II/III randomized, double-blinded clinical study of preventive care for frontline healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“IQVIA is honored to collaborate with the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute on this clinical trial for preventative care to our high-risk frontline healthcare and allied care workers during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Richard Staub, president, Research & Development Solutions, IQVIA. “As the Human Data Science company, IQVIA is uniquely positioned to support this study with our combined capabilities of unparalleled data, advanced analytics, transformative technology, and extensive domain expertise to keep healthcare moving forward.”

The COVID SHIELD clinical study will test an expanded indication for generic Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) as a prophylactic treatment to prevent high-risk healthcare workers from contracting COVID-19. Local hospitals across Australia will administer HCQ or a placebo to approximately 2,250 healthcare professionals who are currently looking after COVID-19 patients.

“The COVID SHIELD trial is focused on our frontline and allied healthcare workers who are at an increased risk of infection due to repeated exposure caring for sick patients. Our collective aim is to help these people stay safe, well and able to continue in their vital roles,” said Marc Pellegrini, principal investigator, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research. “We are pleased to work with IQVIA in this fight against COVID-19 and are hopeful this Australian-first trial will provide a definitive answer to the question of whether hydroxychloroquine is effective as a prophylaxis, or prevention, against contracting COVID-19.”

To streamline this trial without placing undue risks and burden on the frontline healthcare workers or clinical teams, IQVIA will use virtual clinical tools and technologies. These virtual technologies include remote monitoring, eConsent, eTMF, and e-source. Participating healthcare workers for this study will be located across several Australian states, including Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia, as well as the Australian Capital Territory.

For more information and how to get involved about the COVID SHIELD study, visit https://covidshield.com.au.

About IQVIA

IQVIA (NYSE:IQV) is a leading global provider of advanced analytics, technology solutions and contract research services to the life sciences industry. Formed through the merger of IMS Health and Quintiles, IQVIA applies Human Data Science — leveraging the analytic rigor and clarity of data science to the ever-expanding scope of human science — to enable companies to reimagine and develop new approaches to clinical development and commercialization, speed innovation and accelerate improvements in healthcare outcomes. Powered by the IQVIA CORE™, IQVIA delivers unique and actionable insights at the intersection of large-scale analytics, transformative technology and extensive domain expertise, as well as execution capabilities. With approximately 67,000 employees, IQVIA conducts operations in more than 100 countries.

IQVIA is a global leader in protecting individual patient privacy. The company uses a wide variety of privacy-enhancing technologies and safeguards to protect individual privacy while generating and analyzing information on a scale that helps healthcare stakeholders identify disease patterns and correlate with the precise treatment path and therapy needed for better outcomes. IQVIA’s insights and execution capabilities help biotech, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, medical researchers, government agencies, payers and other healthcare stakeholders tap into a deeper understanding of diseases, human behaviors and scientific advances, in an effort to advance their path toward cures. To learn more, visit www.iqvia.com.

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