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As pharma companies wrestle with how and when to use wearables and other digital technologies to measure how their experimental drugs impact patients, clinical research giant Icon has acquired HumanFirst, which helps companies answer exactly those sorts of questions.

Founded in 2017, HumanFirst maintains a meticulously organized library of digital measurement tools, their underlying evidence, and information about how they have been used in clinical trials. Called Atlas, the platform is designed so that a trial sponsor can research what tools are available to measure things like physical activity or sleep for many commonly studied diseases. CEO Andy Coravos said that robust intelligence can help developers move more quickly and avoid mistakes that require costly changes to trial protocols.

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Following the acquisition, HumanFirst will be another offering for Icon, which earned $8 billion last year running clinical trials for pharmaceutical companies and other related services. As of 2021, HumanFirst had raised $15 million in venture capital funding, and the decision to sell to Icon for an undisclosed amount comes as some big drug companies are reevaluating their approach to digital technologies.

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