vRad Announces Clinical Trials Partnership With ICON Medical Imaging

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtual Radiologic (vRad), a technology-enabled national radiology practice, has announced a premier radiology partnership with ICON Medical Imaging (ICON), the medical imaging division of ICON plc.

ICON Medical Imaging provides medical imaging-based product development services to the pharmaceutical biotechnology and medical device industries. The partnership with vRad will enable ICON Medical Imaging to access the breadth and depth of vRad's subspecialty expertise and to obtain high-quality interpretations provided by vRad's fellowship-trained radiologists.

"The extensive subspecialty expertise and broad experience of the vRad radiologists make this partnership a natural fit for ICON," said Ted Gastineau, President, ICON Medical Imaging. "As a partner, vRad offers us access to radiologists covering all subspecialties who also have the benefit of a very impressive body of clinical work, with documented quality."

The first clinical trial involving vRad launched in September, with more expected to rapidly follow. This partnership will provide a great opportunity for vRad radiologists to make an impact on advancing healthcare. The use of imaging in clinical trials has been recognized by the pharmaceutical industry to assist in measuring early results, thereby helping to shorten the timeline for bringing effective drugs to market, and saving costs and lives in the process.

"The partnership with ICON is a significant milestone for vRad, and another example of how we extend our mission—transforming radiology, and delivering efficient access to subspecialists, while meaningfully engaging our physician community," said Rob Kill, vRad Chief Executive Officer. "As the healthcare delivery system continues to evolve, we see growing demands for our technology-enabled practice. We look forward to working with ICON Medical Imaging to efficiently evaluate their clinical trials."

About vRad
Virtual Radiologic (vRad) is a technology-enabled national radiology practice working in partnership with local radiologists and hospitals to optimize radiology's pivotal role in patient care. vRad's more than 400 radiologists serve 2,700+ facilities, reading 7 million studies annually. Delivering access to extensive subspecialty coverage, vRad contributes to improved quality of patient care. With its next-generation technology, vRad enhances productivity, helping to lower the overall cost of care while expediting time to accurate diagnosis and treatment. For more information, visit www.vrad.com. For real-time updates, follow us on Twitter (@vRad), or "like" us on Facebook.

About ICON Medical Imaging
ICON Medical Imaging, a division of ICON plc, provides medical imaging-based product development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries and has assisted over 100 companies in hundreds of clinical trials resulting in more than 20 NDA/BLA submissions for regulatory approval. More information is available at www.iconplc.com/imaging.

SOURCE Virtual Radiologic