Given the severity of industry disruptions in 2020, and the surge in innovation and development that followed, the future of clinical operations seems more clouded than ever. Proventa set out to find out more about the future of Clinical Trials and Pharmacovigilance.

Off the back of its successful 2020 Strategy Meetings for Clinical Trials and PV experts, Proventa asked its leading facilitators how their fields would change over the next five years:

COVID-19 and Safety (Remote Monitoring)

One delegate, a chief science officer at a leading company, noted that safety issues are some of the most important today. They noted that even after the vaccines for the current pandemic are approved, the situation will never be as it was before. Because of this, they advocated remote clinical monitoring as an important aspect of clinical studies right now, due to vitally increasing safety and increasing clinical trial efficiency.

Another delegate spoken to advocated for increased remote trials. They noted that both telemedicine and remote visits are gaining greater importance and relevance right now, and that it would be likely they persist beyond that given their effectiveness and convenience, and that hopefully the coming years will see more user-friendly technologies patients can use for such decentralised visits.

Despite the importance of safety in the post-COVID world, they also noted that speed for roll-out of new COVID-19 vaccines was something suffering from a certain degree of hype at present.

Efficiencies and Costs

The CSO noted the importance of increasing efficiencies in the near future, as there is an increasing sense of urgency to get new drugs to market.

A director of clinical operations, on the other hand, thought that while there are always new technologies for streamlining data, merging information and creating other efficiencies, they would not soon be revolutionising the field: “Trials have largely run the same for years and due to the complex nature of trials globally. Any shift from the normal paradigm is highly unlikely- it’s just too risky, and many in the industry and at the site level are hesitant to stray too far from what they know.” They did, however, note costs as a major problem today, and one which would hopefully improve in the future.

AI

The CFO pointed out AI as one of the most promising aspects of current drug development: “Digital integration of clinical trial data can feed into the trend that may revolutionise new medicines”. A further delegate agreed with this, noting that “AI will be revolutionary”. They said that apps, on the other hand, have yet to live up to their promise, and could well be an example of industry hype.

Patient Recruitment/Identification

An expert attending the event noted that patient recruitment and identification are some of the most important aspects of clinical trials right now, as one of the biggest challenges facing professionals. This would continue to be the case over the next five years, they thought, though potentially with the trend towards less burdensome trials this could eventually be solved.

To discuss these topics further with sector experts, and to ensure you remain up-to-date on the latest in clinical development, sign up for Proventa International’s Clinical Development Strategy Meetings in Princeton and San Diego, set for 18 and 27 May 2021 respectively.

Joshua Neil, Editor
Proventa International