How full digitization will mitigate the disastrous effects of Coronavirus CoVid-19 on clinical trials.

Even before the crisis hit, there had been a push towards the digitization of clinical research, but this epidemic brings with it a greater urgency. The implementation of digital technologies such as remote monitoring of patients and eSource for collecting and verifying data from hospital records could be crucial, not only to overcome the current crisis but above all to avoid similar problems in the future and contribute to respect for the environment.

The coronavirus epidemic has triggered a strong call for action across the international biopharmaceutical community to treat, diagnose and prevent the spread of the virus, but it has also revealed some infrastructure weaknesses that have disrupted traditional clinical trial processes with hitherto unpredictable consequences.

For pharmaceutical companies, one of the most significant operational impacts of the virus spread will be on clinical trials. Healthcare resources are being diverted to deal with the epidemic, and patient visits to hospitals are limited to prevent the spread of the disease.

In the areas most affected by the epidemic, CROs are reporting interruptions of normal clinical trials, difficulties with starting new projects, and the recruitment of new patients into ongoing trials. In some cases, enlisted patients are facing problems in carrying out the study visits and, therefore, also in the continuation of their treatment.

For reasons of health precaution, monitoring visits to the clinical center are regularly canceled and postponed until a date to be set, thus increasing the risk of losing control over the management of the study and especially over the quality and accuracy of the data.

Patrick McManus
Chief Development Officer
 
Mobile: +49 (0)172  941 2912
patrick.mcmanus@exomgroup.com
www.exomgroup.com