At DecisionLine Clinical Research Corporation (DecisionLine), an important responsibility we have is safeguarding the personal information you entrust to us, and using this information in a responsible manner. We are providing you with this privacy statement to inform you of how DecisionLine uses and protects your personal information.

The following is general information on DecisionLine's privacy practices. Additional information sheets are available that explain the privacy of study recruitment and the DecisionLine web site. We encourage you to read our privacy statement and to call, visit or e-mail us with any questions.

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Defining “personal information”

According to the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, 2000 (PIPEDA), “personal information” means information about an identifiable individual. The information you provide to DecisionLine is considered personal information for as long as it is possible to relate it back to you through one of your personal identifiers. Your personal identifiers include your name, address, e-mail address, telephone number and any other information that can identify you.

If information cannot be related to an identifiable individual it is considered anonymous information (such as a list of birthdates without names). We remove personal identifiers to make the rest of the information anonymous. Whenever possible, we work with anonymous information.

This privacy statement does not apply to anonymous information.

Being responsible for your personal information

DecisionLine's Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring that your personal information is collected, used, disclosed (shared) and retained in compliance with applicable privacy regulations.

DecisionLine ensures that any third party involved in the processing of your personal information (such as an Internet company hosting our web site) has a level of protection that is at least as secure as that at DecisionLine.

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Your consent

DecisionLine only collects information from you after you give us your consent - except in specific circumstances where the law requires the collection, use or disclosure of a person's information without consent (such as reporting for public health safety). We tell you when we need to collect your personal information and why we are collecting it.

Providing us with personal information is entirely voluntary. By giving us your personal information, you consent to allowing us to use and disclose your personal information as described to you. If you do not agree with the use and disclosure of your information, please do not provide us with your personal information.

Certain services can only be offered if you provide personal information (for example, being enrolled in our Volunteer Registry). So, if you choose not to provide your information, we may not be able to provide you with those services.

You may withdraw consent at any time. You will be informed of the effect that withdrawing your consent will have.

Your withdrawal of consent will only apply from the point that you withdrew consent. Your withdrawal of consent is not retroactive. This means we will not retrieve information that has already been disclosed.

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Collecting your personal information

As far as possible, we only collect personal information directly from you and we only collect as much information as is needed.

The primary reason we collect your personal information is to conduct research studies. We also collect your personal information when you enroll in our Volunteer Registry, and limited information is collected when you visit our web site. Other reasons for collecting your personal information will be explained to you when it is collected.

If you change your contact information, we may have to search for your new contact information in order to contact you because of a medical situation.

Except for pediatric clinical trials, we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18, and especially from children under the age of 13. We do not use information if we discover that it has been provided by a minor.

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Using and disclosing your personal information

Your personal information is used and disclosed only for the purposes for which it is collected, except with your consent or as required by law.

If information is disclosed to third parties, we will not disclose more information than is required. We do not sell or trade your personal information.

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Keeping your personal information

Your information is kept in physical or electronic formats, or both.

DecisionLine does not keep your personal information longer than necessary. The length of time that we keep your information depends upon the reason it was collected and the nature of the information. This period may extend beyond the end of your relationship with DecisionLine. There are cases where retaining your information is required for safety reasons or by law. Once we no longer need your information, we will destroy it or make it anonymous.

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Protecting your personal information

The personal information you provide to DecisionLine is protected by strict security measures. Records kept electronically are maintained on a secure network; physical records are kept in secure storage facilities. The disposal of records is conducted in a secure manner.

DecisionLine employees are permitted to access only the personal information that they need in order to fulfill their duties.

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Updating your personal information

DecisionLine will keep your personal information as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

You can send corrections or updates to your personal information by mail or by phone. You must provide your full name, your current address and your current telephone number with your correspondence.

Please note that e-mail is not a secure form of communication. Do not send sensitive information by e-mail.

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Accessing your own personal information

You can request a copy of your personal information we have and an account of its use and disclosure. We will respond within 30 days from the reception of your written request.

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Changes to our privacy practices

This statement is in effect as of May 2007. From time to time, DecisionLine will review and revise its privacy practices and publications, including this privacy statement. Notice of changes will be posted to the DecisionLine web site (www.decisionlinecrc.com). Changes made to our privacy policy and practices will apply to all the personal information that we hold.

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Questions, comments or complaints

If you have questions or comments about how we collect, use or share your personal information or how to access it; or if you would like a copy of our Privacy Policy, contact our Privacy Officer.

Complaints about our privacy practices must be sent in writing. We will respond to you within 30 days after we have received it.

Your privacy is important to us. We will do our best to resolve your complaints and answer your inquiries and concerns.

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Contacting DecisionLine

E-mail is not a secure means of communication. Do not send any sensitive information by e-mail. Please contact us by phone or regular mail when sensitive information is part of your communication.

By mail Attn: Privacy Officer
DecisionLine Clinical Research Corporation
720 King Street West
Toronto , ON M5V 2T3

By phone 416.963.9338

By e-mail privacy@dlcrc.com

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Privacy and the DecisionLine Volunteer Registry

An important part of a clinical study is being able to recruit participants like you. Our recruiting team uses your personal information to determine if you are a potential candidate for a clinical study.

We collect only the information we need to find a potential match. This information includes, but is not limited to, your name, date of birth, contact information (such as address and telephone number), physical traits (such as height and weight), lifestyle information (such as smoking) and health information (such as medical conditions).

Your participation is entirely voluntary. You can choose to be considered for just one specific study or for any future studies.

By joining the Registry, you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your information for recruiting purposes. You consent to be included in the Registry when you fill out the registration form, agree over the telephone, submit the online registration form or send a request by e-mail.

As a member of our Volunteer Registry, you may be contacted by phone if there is a clinical study in which you may be able to participate. If you agree to come in for a screening, an appointment will be made for you to meet with a clinical study representative.

Your personal information is kept in an electronic database and may also be included in confidential hard copy documents.

If you have given your information only for a specific study, your information will be destroyed 90 days after the recruiting period for that study is finished. If you decide you no longer want to be part of the Volunteer Registry, you can request to be removed. We will remove your information from our database within seven (7) days of receiving your request.

If you want to be considered for future studies, we keep your information for five (5) years. We may contact you from time to time in order to update your information. At the end of the five years, you will be contacted and given the choice to remain in the Registry. If you choose not to remain or if recruitment staff cannot contact you, your information will be removed from the Registry and destroyed.

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Privacy and the DecisionLine Web Sites

DecisionLine provides you with general access to our public web sites, which include a questionnaire you can use to communicate your interest in participating in a study. This questionnaire requests your contact information, demographic data (such as age and gender) and the clinical study in which you are interested in participating.

Technical information about your visit to our web sites may also be collected. This information includes the date and time of your visit, the pages being accessed, the web site where you came from, the type of web browser and operating system you are using, and the domain name and IP address of your Internet service provider. This technical information is used internally, and only in anonymous form, to analyze trends, manage our web site, diagnose technical problems and improve our web content.

DecisionLine's web sites do not use cookies, clear GIFs or any type of web bug to collect personal information. Cookies are files or pieces of information that may be stored in your computer's hard drive when you visit a web site. A clear GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a line of code that companies place on their web sites to help them analyze their advertising campaigns and the general usage patterns of web site visitors. A web bug is a graphic on a web page or in an e-mail message that is designed to monitor who is reading the web page or e-mail message.

The DecisionLine privacy statement does not apply to web sites linked from any DecisionLine web site. You should read the Privacy Policy at each web site that you visit. DecisionLine is not responsible for how other web sites treat your privacy once you leave the DecisionLine site.

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Version Date: May 01, 2007