COVID-19 and Clinical Trials: Current Challenges and Future Directions

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed a major threat to people's lives across the globe. It has drastically changed the way we perceive this world. A paradigm shift was observed globally as the world's emphasis shifted to testing, diagnosis, treatment, and developing a coronavirus cure. Clinical trials were also not untouched by this. The coronavirus pandemic has abhorrently affected the day-to-day clinical trial activities at sites.

The status of various ongoing clinical trials was assessed through a literature search, which also includes clinical trial portals. Our evaluations were based on these observations.

Multiple challenges were present in clinical trials as recruitment, retention, the safety of trial subjects, protocol compliance, and this made the world to re-think to incorporate newer strategies and to cope with this untoward situation.

Digitalization of clinical trials as virtual management of adverse events, remote monitoring visits, and web-based consulting with trial subjects are potential directions that can be applied to better manage clinical trials worldwide.