Baylor College of Medicine disclosed a concerning incident, revealing a data breach that potentially affected participants in breast cancer clinical trials conducted from 1999 to 2013. The breach targeted Advarra, a vendor partnered with Baylor for clinical trial services, with an unauthorized party gaining access to an Advarra employee’s email account in October 2023 and obtaining data related to breast cancer research at the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The compromised data included the names and dates of birth of the research participants, signaling a significant breach of personal information linked to the clinical trials.
Advarra promptly reported the breach to Baylor in November 2023 and subsequently conducted an investigation to ascertain the extent of the data exposure. The findings were shared with Baylor College of Medicine last month, prompting the acknowledgment of the breach and the potential impact on the research participants involved. Notably, the release clarified that the breach did not encompass any unauthorized access to Baylor’s systems, network, or electronic health records, indicating a containment of the breach within Advarra’s infrastructure.
In response to the breach, Advarra is offering affected research participants complimentary credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration services, accessible via a dedicated contact number. This proactive measure underscores the seriousness of the data breach and the commitment to mitigating the potential repercussions for the impacted individuals. The breach serves as a stark reminder of the critical need for robust protective measures and continuous vigilance to safeguard the privacy and security of personal information, especially within the domain of clinical research and healthcare.
