Is Virtual Clinical Trial Creating New Possibilities in Clinical Research?

Virtual clinical trials can drive significant changes in the way life sciences companies conduct clinical research.

FREMONT, CA: Clinical trials are a cornerstone of drug development, providing scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical compounds, and informing clinical care. An evolving trend in the clinical trial landscape has been implementing digital health technologies, including mobile devices, remote monitoring devices, and online social engagement platforms. Such virtual clinical trials can use digital health technologies for collecting data at each stage of the clinical trial, enhancing trial participant recruitment and retention, allowing online-based informed consent, measuring real-time clinical endpoints, and continuous tracking of events. Know more here.

The drive towards virtual trials is being guided by two converging forces, the cost of taking a new treatment and the life sciences industry's shift towards greater efficiency. Towards more complex protocols and treatments is also driving this transformation. Instead of developing and evaluating novel treatments in a vacuum, life sciences firms are starting to focus on the patients' importance in the design and evaluation of these treatments. 

These two forces are joining to push the boundaries of what a clinical trial is. One of the new solutions is the virtual trial, and it carries with it many advantages over traditional trials.

Virtual clinical trial poses less burden on patients. Traveling to trial sites can be stressful, expensive, and exclusionary for trial participants. The virtual trial will eliminate the need to go to sites and minimizes the burden of participating in a clinical trial for patients as tracking technology has evolved and now is enabling life sciences companies to collect an incredible amount of data remotely through devices, which is much more than what can be collected in a series of office visits. With complete tracking and data collection, sponsors and CROs can instantly know when a patient is at risk and can respond appropriately.

Studies show 80 percent of traditional trials fail to meet targets in enrolling and retaining patients due to constant delays in traveling to the site, higher processing timelines showing the importance of virtual clinical trials.

See also: Top eClinical Trial Management Consulting/Service Companies