Certara, a provider of decision support technology and consulting services for optimizing drug development and improving health outcomes, has announced that its d3 Medicine company has been selected to conduct a national audit of Australia’s medical countermeasures (MCM) product research and development (R&D) capabilities and capacity.

MCM include vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics against chemical, biological and radiological threats; emerging infectious diseases; and pandemics.

DST Group is partnering with d3 Medicine to assess and then optimize Australia’s MCM research, development and manufacturing capabilities.

“Thorough preparation is the best way to prevent a health crisis becoming a disaster,” said d3 Medicine President Craig R. Rayner, PharmD, MBA. “We are proud to help the Australian Government develop this comprehensive MCM preparedness approach, which is considered a priority under the Defence White Paper 2016.”

This new activity builds upon an initial audit conducted by d3 Medicine and DST Group in 2012. It aims to assess the nation’s current level of MCM knowledge, research, products, infrastructure and capability in both industry and academia.

d3 Medicine and DST Group continue to enhance their previously successful interactions. Together they have coordinated war gaming exercises with the Australian R&D community; proposed product development strategies for emergency situations; and collaborated with the Therapeutic Goods Administration to understand how an MCM emergency could inform the review and use of a MCM diagnostic and therapeutic solution.

d3 Medicine is well positioned to support the activities of DST Group. The company’s extensive global expertise in PK/PD modelling, pharmacometrics, asset due diligence, regulatory proficiency and clinical trials design are critical to the strategic guidance of this new initiative.