Digital Health Technology
Rapid evolution: Clinical trials have gone digital
DCT and digital elementsare now the new normal. But what exactly does "digital" or "decentralized" mean in the context of clinical trials?
A panel of industry experts from Sanofi, Bayer, and the Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative (CTTI) recently came together to discuss the evolution of DCTs and share their experiences.
Creating success with digital measures
The landscape of clinical trials is undergoing a significant transformation as digital measures and digital health technologies (DHTs) continue to evolve and prove their worth.
As of December 2023, approximately 1,550 clinical trials worldwide utilized wearable devices, representing about 2% of all trials. While this percentage may seem small, it marks a steady increase since 2014, and the momentum is set to accelerate.
Simply digital: Trial technologies help reduce oncology’s burden
With the share of oncology trials continuing to increase, the case for using digital tools in these trials grows with it.
Today, cancer trials are the most commonly researched of all diseases, with their share of clinical trials growing each year. According to research from Tufts CSDD, the number of cancer drugs “has nearly quadrupled since 2000, to 1,489 trials in 2021, up from 421 two decades earlier.”
Tufts CSDD notes that this growth comes as “oncology drug developers are increasingly shifting toward precision medicine, embracing new molecular targets and improvements in genetic sequencing technologies”
Back to Basics: What is a decentralized clinical trial?
In a decentralized clinical trial, part or all of the protocol occurs away from the primary study site. Instead of patients traveling, often repeatedly, to a central site for enrollment, consent, data collection or symptom monitoring, they can participate in telehealth visits from their homes, often using familiar technologies, like smartphones, tablets and wearables to transmit pertinent information. Even medications and devices can increasingly be delivered directly to a patient’s home, and a home visit from a health care professional can be arranged if necessary.
Use case: Implementing digital solutions to improve oncology trial experience & efficiency
A top 10 pharmaceutical company looked to Medable to streamline participant burden and enhance site and team experience in oncology trials, while establishing a scalable template for future trials in oncology and other areas.
Digital vs digitized: Common myths about eConsent for clinical trials
Alex Burrington, CTI Principal of Vertex, and Andrew Mckinnon, VP, GM of eConsent discuss common myths around eConsent, how to improve comprehension with patient-centric consent, and how to use a digital consent management tool to improve trial compliance, quality, and oversight.
Podcast: How do you ensure clinical trial access for all?
Medable CEO Michelle Longmire joins Beyond the Molecule Podcast to discuss how the industry can expand clinical trial access to all populations.
Back to Basics: Remote patient monitoring
Remote patient monitoring programs and technologies are becoming increasingly popular, backed by growing clinical evidence showing numerous benefits to patients and providers. While remote patient monitoring (RPM) isn’t new, it’s evolving quickly due to the regulatory push to expand access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Coupled with the fact that the digital health market is poised to more than double by 2026, providers and patients have a greater ability to track vitals between visits, and both centralized and decentralized clinical trials rely on remote data collection now more than ever. While there is tremendous potential upside, some barriers and risks are inherent in this digital process. Human-centered design and strategic implementation can ensure that RPM in clinical trials is both beneficial and cost effective.