Unlocking The Potential Of Decentralized Clinical Trials

A concept first introduced by Pfizer in June 2011, the popularity of Decentralized Clinical Trials has only grown since—most recently fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike traditional clinical trials where patients must travel to a specific study site, DCTs can conduct activities remotely, such as in participants’ homes. However, achieving these operations successfully has not been a simple task.

During recent life science conferences, it was clear that all industry stakeholders are keen to stay abreast of the evolvement of DCTs and support the change to ensure complete adoption.

As a result of the growing interest in DCTs and the desire for widespread adoption, authors looked at how the number of trials with decentralized attributes has been gradually increasing over time. Despite the rise, they note, the industry is still in the very early stages of adapting trial design strategies to better fit around the new digital world. Based on Citeline’s validated methodology for the assignment of DCT classification, the proportion of studies incorporating decentralized elements remains very low. Citeline’s proprietary data suggests this was only 3.4% for trials that started in 2022 and were reported to date in the public domain.

Explores the current DCT landscape, its evolution over time, the key advantages of incorporating decentralized attributes, and how barriers to their inclusion can be overcome. The narrative is supported by data and analysis from Citeline’s gold-standard clinical trials intelligence solution, Trialtrove, and validated by Citeline’s industry-leading customer network.