Delivering benefits to pharmaceutical companies

What factors are enterprise buyers looking for Decentralized Clinical Trial (DCT) vendors to provide in their platforms to increase satisfaction and ultimately drive patient enrollments? When COVID-19 brought traditional clinical trials to an abrupt halt, decentralized clinical trials proved to be a solution for sponsors looking to safely restart their paused research activities. The top reason for moving to this model has been its patient-centered focus, making it easier for more people from a broader geographic area to participate in trials without needing to visit a site.

The growing mainstream acceptance for decentralized clinical trials has increased the appetite among clinical research organizations (CROs) and sponsors to adopt the latest technologies and virtual models for clinical trials. This has resulted in an uptick in innovation and decentralized clinical trial product adoption. We see decentralized clinical trial vendors increasingly focus on co-innovation, continuous product improvement, and market education to help clients get started on their DCT journey.

The most promising benefit is the opportunity to enhance the patient experience – a benefit that two out of three decentralized clinical trial product buyers also agree with based on Everest Group interviews. Other advantages of decentralized clinical trials include reducing trial costs and timelines, attracting a more diverse patient population, and capturing real-time data for trials. With decentralized clinical trials, patients can now take part in a study from the comfort of their homes, spend more time with their family members, and focus on work and other responsibilities. This mode of clinical trial also opens the door to patients who have mobility issues and allows sponsors to reach a global audience, increasing inclusivity and diversion.

This new patient-centric approach is driving increased enrollment and retention rates. With these valuable benefits, it is not surprising that having a people-orientated platform has become central to enterprise buyers in making their sourcing decisions – even more so than innovation or reviews from other buyers.