MORRISVILLE, N.C., May 19, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merge Healthcare Incorporated (Nasdaq:MRGE), a leading provider of innovative enterprise imaging, interoperability and clinical systems that seek to advance healthcare, today announced that Eurotrials, a full-service clinical research organization with expertise in Europe and Latin America, has selected Merge as its technology partner of choice to focus on expanding their presence in Europe and the burgeoning Latin American market.
As part of the agreement, Merge will create a data center in Brazil to serve Eurotrials' researchers in the region and train them as certified providers of the company's solution, Merge eClinical OS™ (eCOS), a unified platform utilizing a pay-as-you-go, self-run environment to manage and run studies.
Dr. Maria Queiroz, Global CEO with Eurotrials, said the partnership makes sense on a number of levels. "First and foremost, both our firms thrive on cultivating a climate of collaboration and innovation to serve the needs of a fast-evolving market. eCOS enables Eurotrials to help our clients stay on top of new trends in risk assessment such as remote and risk-based monitoring."
According to Dr. Queiroz, the integration of functions such as embedded translation, automatic medical coding and electronic patient reported outcomes in eCOS significantly boosts her firm's ability to manage studies across borders seamlessly. "And the fact that eCOS empowers data managers with no programming experience to design studies on their own is extraordinarily valuable," she said.
"One of our primary goals in 2014 is to expand our international business, and we couldn't have found a better partner for this effort. We are honored and excited to partner with a company of Eurotrials' profile and prestige," said Zaher El-Assi, President of Merge eClinical. "Our eCOS solution has a strong presence in the U.S. and European markets and we certainly expect to see continued growth in those regions."
Justin Dearborn, CEO of Merge, continued, "A key strategy for us is penetrating markets where advanced clinical study management technologies such as eCOS are not yet commonplace. Joining forces with a prominent CRO that is universally recognized for its expertise in Latin America is a huge benefit for Merge and will allow us to continue to expand our global footprint."
About Eurotrials
Eurotrials is a privately owned full-service CRO focused in Europe and Latin America markets with strong local expertise. The company has been validated by international biopharmaceutical companies, has several master agreements and is ISO- 9001 certified. With nearly 20 years of experience, Eurotrials has offices in Portugal, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Spain and presence in Peru, Colombia, Mexico and several European countries. Eurotrials provides an extensive array of services from early- to late-stage research as well as product support in accordance with global and specific regional requirements. Innovative models of collaboration with the biopharmaceutical and device industry, research institutions and clinical research sites are the main drivers of Eurotrials' development strategy.
About Merge
Merge is a leading provider of innovative enterprise imaging, interoperability and clinical systems that seek to advance healthcare. Merge's enterprise and cloud-based technologies for image intensive specialties provide access to any image, anywhere, any time. Merge also provides clinical trials software with end-to-end study support in a single platform and other intelligent health data and analytics solutions. With solutions that have been used by providers for more than 25 years, Merge is helping to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and enhance the quality of healthcare worldwide. For more information, visit merge.com and follow us @MergeHealthcare.
Cautionary Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The matters discussed in this news release may include forward-looking statements, which could involve a number of risks and uncertainties. When used in this press release, the words "will," "believes," "intends," "anticipates," "expects" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements.
Media Contacts: Aaron Mazze Merge eClinical +1 919.653.3467 Claudia Carvalho Eurotrials Scientific Consultants (+351) 213 825 457
