By Clinical Research News Staff

August 14, 2019 | Saama Technologies announced yesterday that the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Comprehend Systems. Together, Saama and Comprehend will deploy and evolve their complementary, clinical analytics platforms. This agreement creates an opportunity to increase their combined market share, as well as expand their existing partner ecosystems and deliver on a mutual commitment to accelerate clinical development towards unmet patient needs. Financial details were not disclosed.

“Our combined forces create an exciting, enhanced suite of complementary capabilities to empower life sciences companies to further accelerate clinical development and meet the therapeutic needs of patients around the world, challenge the status quo, and achieve clinical insights in days versus months,” said Suresh Katta, Founder and Chairman of Saama, in a press release. “Combining Saama and Comprehend elevates our ability to do what we do best—innovate cutting-edge, AI-powered clinical development solutions and software that empower biopharma to facilitate more rapid drug development.”

Details of what the new entity will look like are still being determined. “Comprehend's team at various levels will be part of Saama Technologies,” a company representative said by email today. “Locations and offices of both entities will be used as appropriate for the business.”

When asked about the future of the Comprehend brand, the same representative replied: “The companies' brands will be integrated in the long run to combine strengths and elevate their ability to innovate and deploy cutting-edge, AI-powered clinical development solutions and software that empower biopharma to facilitate more rapid drug development. In the short term, the integration will be driven by what is optimal and appropriate for sponsors and CROs who are using their products.”

“The Comprehend-Saama transaction creates a data analytics powerhouse with a singular vision of improving human health through the application of AI-powered solutions for actionable clinical trial insights,” said Rick Morrison, founder and chairman of Comprehend, in the press release announcing the acquisition. "The combined 30-plus years of experience of these two companies as data analytics innovators provides exciting opportunities to speed biopharma’s development of new therapeutics and to have broader industry reach.”

Morrison will not be joining the new, combined company.