Industry Experts Tackle DCT Barriers

The shift to technology-driven trials and specialized care for study participants during the pandemic opened the industry’s eyes to the benefits of decentralized research models. A recent IQVIA studied 12 Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCTs) and found that sponsors captured time and cost savings at virtually every point in the DCT research journey compared to traditional trials.

The DCTs studied saw an average 78% reduction in time to first patient in, 54% reduction in protocol deviations, and a 26% reduction of non-enrolling trial sites, among other measurable benefits.

The analysis also shows that when sponsors planned for DCT models from the start they experienced more time and cost savings and greater patient engagement that studies that added these elements at the last minute.

The research proves that choosing a DCT model can add value across treatment categories and patient populations – and these decentralized studies aren’t going away. Currently, about one-third of active clinical trials that IQVIA supports incorporate one or more DCT technologies or service capabilities, and 10% are fully decentralized.

A related survey conducted by Industry Standard Research (ISR) in 2021 found 83% of sponsors said they expect to increase their use of DCTs in the next three years, and half expect the cost of running DCTs will drop below the cost of traditional trials by next year.