Two Long-Established Independent IRBs Discussing Merger

Independent Review Consulting (IRC) an independent Institutional Review Board (IRB) founded in 1984 announced that it has entered into a preliminary agreement to merge with the Ethical Review Committee (ERC), another central IRB providing reviews of research on behalf of subject safety since 1988. Erica Heath, founder of Independent Review Consulting (IRC), accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program, Inc. (AAHRPP) and located in Northern California is in talks with Terri Majors, President of the Ethical Review Committee (ERC) in Missouri. Under the terms of the proposed merger, the two organizations will begin implementing an integration plan immediately while they continue to operate as their respective organizations. The first phase of the plan will be the formation of Ethical and Independent Review Services (E&I), a new Limited Liability Corporation to provide management services for both entities. Both companies have experience in the review of late-stage, multi- center trials. While IRC specializes in medical devices and federally funded studies, ERC has developed processes specializing in efficient turn-around of large, late-stage multi-center trials.