Mapping the Landscape of Patient-centric Activities Within Clinical Research

Although there has been more involvement by patients in the drug-development process, there are not a lot of published data that quantify patient-centric activities or that document these activities across a large scale. In order to examine the patient-centricity landscape and to quantify the adoption and implementation of these initiatives, the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development and the Drug Information Association collaborated on a research study. The study examined patient-centric activities implemented by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organizations, as well as activities being piloted or in the planning stages.

A global industry survey was conducted across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organizations, assessing 25 patient-centric activities within clinical research. Some of these initiatives involve the use of social media to engage with patients, or the use of social listening to monitor study activity. Initiatives being implemented, planned, or piloted in addition to those not being considered were evaluated by respondents. Twenty-two unique companies responded to the survey, representing a mix of large, mid-sized, and small organizations.

The most widely adopted patient-centric initiatives, including activities both implemented and piloted across organizations, were patient advisory boards (17/22 companies), professional panels (16), lay-language clinical trial results summaries (13), assessment of the patient-organization landscape (10), and the use of home nursing networks (9).

The results of the study suggest that organizations have a varied approach to the adoption and implementation of patient-centric initiatives, with more activities occurring in the planning stages than are being piloted or implemented. Many factors affect implementation and adoption, including buy-in by senior management, organizational vision, resources, and level of investment.