International law firm Bird & Bird advised health analytics start-up Biofourmis with the deployment of its AI-driven remote monitoring platform to observe patients in Hong Kong who are diagnosed with or suspected to be infected with COVID-19. The company has recently completed negotiations with the National Health Service in the UK and the Australian health authorities to roll out the same solution in the UK and Australia.
The platform is part of the remote monitoring and diseases surveillance program, which launched earlier in March, and is being administered by the University of Hong Kong and Biofourmis' Hong Kong-based joint venture, Harmony Medical Inc. The program aims to provide disease surveillance by remotely monitoring quarantined suspected COVID-19 individuals and detecting the signs of disease development as well as remotely monitoring the diagnosed cases to understand how the virus affects humans. Biopharmaceutical companies that are developing the vaccines for COVID-19 can also benefit from the AI remote monitoring system in place as it aids them in understanding the effectiveness of the vaccines during clinical trials.
Given the urgency of the situation, a cross jurisdictional team from Bird & Bird was assembled to take advantage of time zone differences. The team was led by Singapore counsel Daniel Song and associate Tai Yuet Ping, who were supported by UK partner Ronald Hendrikx, and associates Benjamin Woodfield and Bridget Chamberlain, Hong Kong partner Michelle Chan and counsel Clarice Yue, as well as Australia partner Lynne Lewis and counsel Lisa Vanderwal.
Daniel Song, counsel in the Tech & Comms sector group in Singapore says: "The deployment of Biofourmis' remote monitoring platform is crucial to help us learn more about the COVID-19 disease and make way for countries around the world to overcome this pandemic. Our cross-jurisdictional team drafted and negotiated several contracts within a very short time frame in order to speed up the deployment process and kick start the initiative. During this very challenging time for businesses across all industries, we are committed to helping our clients navigate the challenges of these unprecedented times."