Decentralized Clinical Trials: Here to Stay

I had the pleasure of attending the first annual Decentralized Trials & Research Alliance (DTRA) meeting in Boston last week and was energized by great discussion with colleagues on the future of decentralized clinical trials.

One consistent theme that emerged is that decentralized trials (DCTs) are here to stay. When DCTs first emerged, they were used to solve for acute pain points like recruiting hard-to-reach populations and improving retention by making it easier to participate in clinical trials. But the ability of DCTs to provide clinical trial access to underserved and more diverse populations has been proven and is a key factor in why DCTs will be adopted for the long-term. And while they will always help address gaps in traditional clinical trials, we are starting to see sponsors consider how to leverage elements of trial decentralization earlier and earlier in the study design process. It was clear from the discussions at DTRA that this earlier consideration is one key to the successful application of DCT solutions.

At Matrix we help our clients from protocol design to clinical outcomes with customizable DCT services. That can mean everything from providing virtual principal investigators, enabling mobile sites, activating clinicians across geographies, providing in-house point-of-care lab services, and more.

– Thad Wolfram, President of Matrix Clinical Trials