We are living in a world that, according to the World Economic Forum, is entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Characterised by the fusion of physical, digital and biological technologies, this revolution brings with it a transformation in production, management and governance systems of almost every industry.
Strangely though, the pharmaceutical industry faces a conundrum whereby most companies are not innovative enough to be sustainable. A contributing factor to this is the increasing cycle time and complexity of clinical trials, which continues to push up the costs of drug development. Over the past few years, pressure to drive down costs has resulted in increased outsourcing of clinical trial operations to contract research organisations. These CROs are tasked with conducting greater numbers of high quality clinical trials (at increasingly lower cost points) and for those involved, like clinical research teams and CRAs, this means longer hours and greater stress.
Not surprisingly, a recent survey showed that in the US the employee turnover rate in the contract clinical research industry grew to almost 20 percent. This high attrition rate poses a significant challenge for companies.
Even though the industry is poised to grow as the number of ongoing trials continues to climb, retaining top performers and knowledgeable team members is key for an organisation looking to maintain high quality trial results while they expand. An important component of retention and growth is providing your clinical team with the best resources so they can handle the increased workload. So the question becomes, how do we do more with less?
Enter technology
Think about how business was conducted before computers. All tasks, processes and functions were manual and subject to a high rate of error, but when computers became commonplace all those manual assignments were completed in a fraction of the time, with less effort and greater accuracy. At first glance, technology solutions are embraced slowly because people view them as making people disposable.
However, the reality is that technology is critical to improving processes and enabling greater productivity. Good technology does not replace people’s jobs, but rather enables people to perform their roles better. Especially in clinical trials, where patient interaction is so important, technology will never replace the human touch involved. Patients are reassured and more likely to continue engaging when they have a point of contact within the trial who wants to see them do well. The pharmaceutical industry has a history of slow technology adoption, but in light of the greater demands placed on the clinical operations team, investments in technology are a must in order to handle the higher workload while keeping that all important human component.
What type of technology will catalyse this? For those that use them, EDC and CTMS systems have been hugely impactful in gathering and storing data, but data is only useful when it can tell a story and provide the insights those looking at it care about. Eyeforpharma’s recent industry report shows that over 85 percent of pharma executives agree that data collection, management, and analysis will have the largest impact on the future of how clinical trials are conducted. The benefits will be threefold: decreased study timelines, decreased costs, and greater satisfaction and retention in employees and patients.
With a centralised monitoring platform, clinical research teams are able to see the current situation of their trial in one location. Data is aggregated from existing disparate sources into one platform and then, through advanced analytics, visualised to show study and site level performance.
Having this knowledge enables clinical teams to see how the trial is progressing against its timeline, based on the performance of the sites, and provides insight on the best course of action to take regarding patient retention problems or in remedying adverse events.
Bringing a life saving drug to market is a long, costly, and risky journey to embark on. One that is problematic for both patients and businesses. Accelerating the time to market for innovative new therapies benefits everyone, especially the patients who receive them.
Julie Peacock is Senior Director at clinical software company Comprehend Systems. For more information visit www.comprehend.com
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