Oct 16, 2020   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Health and Human Services Officials Meet With Meridian Leaders to Discuss COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trials and Patient Recruitment

SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) visited with leaders from Meridian Clinical Research in Savannah, GA. Following a tour of Meridian's internal medicine site in Savannah, the group held a roundtable to discuss Meridian's patient recruitment efforts and the research the company has conducted for COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.

Attendees included:

HHS 

    --  Eric D. Hargan, Deputy Secretary
    --  Rear Admiral Erica G. Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH, Deputy Surgeon General
    --  Ken Callahan, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Deputy Secretary
    --  Chris Kotwicki, Special Assistant, Office of the Deputy Secretary

Georgia State Representatives 

    --  Governor Brian Kemp
    --  John F. King, Office of Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner
    --  Senator Ben Watson, MD (enrolled in a COVID-19 vaccine study)
    --  Representative Earl "Buddy" Carter

Meridian Clinical Research 

    --  Nicole Osborn, Founder and CEO
    --  Laura Falcone, COO
    --  Paul Bradley, MD, Principal Investigator (first investigator to dose a
        Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine study patient in the US)
    --  Brandon Essink, MD, CPI, Medical Director, Principal Investigator
    --  Wes Bonner, VP, Strategic Development
    --  Andrew Kimball, VP, Business Development
    --  Stephanie Ailey, Director of Clinical Operations
    --  Dawn Baker (the first patient enrolled in a Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine
        study in the US, enrolled at Meridian)

"We're honored to work with the agencies and organizations reinforcing safety and progress in vaccine research," said Osborn. "We've enrolled thousands in COVID-19 vaccine trials, and we welcome the opportunity to collaborate and share our experience in recruiting patients for these trials."

Meridian sites were the first in the US to enroll patients into Phase II and III COVID-19 vaccine studies. Operation Warp Speed (OWS) program officials Moncef Slaoui, chief advisor, and General Gustave F. Perna, chief operating officer, also visited Meridian's internal medicine site in Savannah earlier this year. Meridian is conducting COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials at nine of its 23 sites.

Earlier this month, Meridian won the 2020 Vaccine Industry Excellence (ViE) award for Best Clinical Trial Site. Meridian is also the largest member of Platinum Research Network, which won the ViE award for Best Clinical Trial Network.

Sponsors and CROs interested in partnering with Meridian should email Andrew Kimball at akimball@mcrmed.com.

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About Meridian Clinical Research
Meridian Clinical Research partners with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to research new drugs, medical devices, and diagnostics that could improve human health and wellbeing. Founded in 1999, Meridian is a multi-specialty site network headquartered at its dedicated research center in Omaha, NE, and conducts Phase I-IV studies at investigative sites across North America. Meridian supports research across numerous therapeutic areas and specializes in high-volume vaccine trials. Learn more at mcrmed.com.

SOURCE Meridian Clinical Research