The idea of innovation circles all around the Pharmaceutical industry. In this sector experts are seeking to develop something new, something working and something that will ostensibly improve life science on a global scale. Still though, the approaches used when carrying out a research could be said to be fairly changed and rather similar to those used more than 20 years ago. And when we talk about progress, such antiqued and familiar procedures are inexcusable. In order to break these ancient-like operations and contribute enormously to the Good Clinical Practices (GCP), medical scientists are redeveloping, reinforcing and testing out the method of conducting remote clinical trials.
In the current situation, clinical research participants are expected to travel from one location to another so that their progression and reaction to a specific medical product can be monitored and evaluated by the specialist. This carries certain hindrances. For example, less patients will be recruited; the process of reviewing the subject’s health will be lengthier and even more resource-taking. Nevertheless, professionals such as Andreas Koester, VP of clinical trial innovation at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, sees the light in the tunnel and it is the light of modernization. He observes that; “The tipping point is almost here. Every day you see some company piloting individual aspects into trials. That’s the way innovation works. You start by utilizing remote technology for individual aspects, and in doing so, you learn what process changes are required.”
Undoubtedly then, remote clinical trials offer a number of benefits which are able to set one brighter, more practical and facilitated horizon for the Pharmaceutical and Medical world. One key advantage is that we are presented with the convenience of saving time. Participants in virtual clinical projects are no longer expected to plan their daily schedule in advance so that they can fit the checkups in their already busy daily routines. The routine management becomes easier and faster. Secondly, the pool of participants is enlarging because the requirement for physical attendance is relieved and not that strict anymore. Thanks to the advanced technology, distance does not pose any difficulties for regular monitoring. In this instance, data can be inspected and even corrected in real time and when necessary. For example, with the remote tools, sites are enabled to observe a patient and detect if or when this person is not following the procedures correctly. Not taking the right dosage or taking it at the wrong time can be easily noticed and quick preventative actions can be taken.
Of course, with the introduction of new techniques there might arise some drawbacks. In this case this would be the computer-lack-of-knowledge of some volunteers. Nevertheless with the right dose of initiative and time-management, this obstacle can be overcome in no time.
In the fast-marching world of technological opportunities, we tend to see the conventional brick-and-mortar type of clinical studies as not fully embracing its capacity. Instead of unveiling a bigger and more detailed picture that will help researchers come to a much easier conclusion, today’s model catches only a snapshot of the patient’s condition during the face-to-face visits. This turns out to be a tremendous setback. With the implementation of the remote or also known as virtual trial, a huge part of the barriers will be removed and more people will be encouraged to participate.
There are now several examples of organizations which tried how the application of virtual trials would work. One of them is Pfizer that conducted such trial in 2001. Even though it was widely acknowledged as a “failure” because it did not enroll 600 participants but only 18, this can still be perceived as a step toward the revolutionizing of all clinical practices.
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