<span>Faster access to biopesticide alternatives to conventional pesticides under the U.S. BPPD regulatory framework</span>
April 20, 2023

Faster access to biopesticide alternatives to conventional pesticides under the U.S. BPPD regulatory framework

There is pressure worldwide for better, faster access to biological alternatives to conventional crop protection chemicals (CPCs). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is ahead of regions such as the European Union (EU) in revising its regulatory approaches for biopesticides and in having a division dedicated to them, namely, the Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division (BPPD). Read on to discover how this can help you speed your biopesticide to market in the U.S. 
<span>Enabling better access to kidney disease trials</span>
March 7, 2023

Enabling better access to kidney disease trials

March is National Kidney Month, and we at Labcorp are committed to improving the renal health of patients worldwide. The field of nephrology clinical research has been steadily adding new interventional trials over the last five years at an average pace of 176 trials per year. This activity reflects the continued interest in and importance of developing new drugs to treat renal disease. The recent approvals of Farxiga® (dapagliflozin) and Kerendia® (finerenone) have also moved the field forward with new treatments to delay kidney disease progression. However, the operational conduct of kidney disease studies—whether they be for chronic kidney disease or rare renal diseases such as IgA nephropathy or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis—remains challenging due to low recruitment rates, a widely competitive geographic spread and long development timelines. Within the Operational Strategy and Development Group at Labcorp, we are deploying various tactics to improve the efficiency of renal studies by focusing on the patient.
<span>Alcohol-related liver disease: Inherent challenges and strategies for successful clinical trial conduct</span>
April 19, 2023

Alcohol-related liver disease: Inherent challenges and strategies for successful clinical trial conduct

The association between excessive alcohol consumption and liver disease is well documented. In fact, the effect on alcohol consumption levels during the COVID-19 pandemic has more recently been investigated. In a 2022 Hepatology article, researchers estimated that the one-year increase in alcohol consumption during the pandemic would result in an additional 8,000 deaths related to alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and 18,700 additional cases of decompensated cirrhosis in the United States alone. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, estimations show there was a 24% increase in the amount of alcohol supermarkets sold in the financial year 2020/2021 compared to the year before. Concurrently, alcohol-specific deaths increased by 20% in 2020, with ALD accounting for just over 80% of those deaths. With the only effective treatment for patients whose liver disease has become irreversible being transplantation, the impact of COVID-19 is significant: in 2021, the British Liver Trust estimated there was a 25% decrease in donors. It is therefore critically important that strategies to slow or halt the progression of this disease are implemented before the patient reaches end-stage liver disease.
<span>What does a central lab do? Four core services</span>
April 24, 2023

What does a central lab do? Four core services

Every clinical trial relies on data from its study participants to inform decisions regarding the safety and efficacy of a potential new treatment. Clinical trial sponsors rely on the data from laboratory tests to bring clear insights that advance studies.
<span>How to de-risk OECD 443 studies through optimized dose level selections</span>
June 5, 2023

How to de-risk OECD 443 studies through optimized dose level selections

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently conducted a review project regarding the design of the OECD 443 (Extended One-Generation Reproductive Toxicity Study, or EOGRTS). The project’s goal was to assess the performance of the study in terms of study design, conduct and findings to determine if the study design currently prescribed gives sufficient information for regulatory hazard classification.
January 30, 2024

Integrating technologies: Ultrasound and cfDNA screening in twin pregnancies

Despite overall limited data on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing in twin gestations, MaterniT 21 PLUS has demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity in screening for trisomy 21 in twins from the first trimester of pregnancy (comparable to that observed in singleton pregnancies), as well as promising performance in screening for trisomies 13 and 18, according to the results of a newly published study.1 Hear from our experts about the nuances of twin pregnancy care as we combine ultrasound expertise with the latest research review on fetal cfDNA screening.