DrugDev, the Wayne developer of cloud-based solutions provider for drug studies, has acquired SecureConsent, a mobile e-consent software developer, writes John George for Philadelphia Business Journal.

Secure Consent’s software products replace the paper methods, historically used to secure informed consent from patients who are taking part in drug studies, with its e-consent method that uses tablets and other mobile devices.

According to Dr. Hugo Stephenson, executive chairman of DrugDev, paper has historically been used out of habit and its lower cost, but times have changed. In today’s society, there is a greater understanding of the potential crippling costs that can result from paper errors.

These include a lack of control over whether patients are signing the right documents, using the right dates, and acknowledging any drug study protocol changes.

SecureConsent co-founder, Eric Delente, will take a leadership role in growing DrugDev’s portfolio of patient products with the e-consent team continuing to operate out of its headquarters in Washington.

“Eric and his team have pioneered the use of electronic informed consent and are true visionaries in the field,” said Ibraheem Mahmood, DrugDev’s president and CEO.

Read more about the acquisition at Philadelphia Business Journal by clicking here.