Discover the top 5 alarming statistics about clinical trial site selection that every researcher should know. Stay informed and enhance your trial success.

Choosing the appropriate site for clinical trials is a very crucial step in the successful development of any new drug or therapy. However, while it is important, the process poses a lot of challenges that often result in costly delays, failed studies, and suboptimal outcomes. This article presents the top 5 statistics pointing to key issues in clinical trial site selection, together with insights on how to navigate these challenges effectively. 

Less than 20% of sites reach their enrollment targets

One of the most astonishing statistics in clinical trial site selection is related to less than 20% of the sites ever achieving their patient enrollment targets. The deficit may lead to huge delays in trial timelines and extreme cost increase, because sites must work hard to attain sufficient recruitment and retention of participants. Some of the factors contributing to this include poor pools of patients, poor site selection criteria, and not engaging potential participants. 

More than 30% of Clinical Trial Sites Fail to Enroll a Single Patient 

This is even scarier, the fact that more than 30% of clinical trial sites fail to enroll even a single patient. For again, it means proper site feasibility assessments and strategic site selections, not enrolling patients, waste of resources slows the progress of the entire clinical trial. 

Site selection is one of the critical determinants

At least 80% of trials, at one point or another, incur delays in site selection due to various problems ranging from regulatory issues to logistics and poor performance at the site level. The solution to these problems needs to be sought as early as the planning phase of the trial. 

Variability in Site Performance Can Go as High as 50%

There is great variability in the performance of clinical trial sites, with some sites performing up to several folds better than others. This would impact data quality and outcomes of trials; therefore, site selection must consider those with good past performances and infrastructures. 

Up to 40% of Sites Experience High Dropout Rates 

40% of the sites report significant participant attrition. It compromises the integrity of a clinical trial; at worst, it renders the results invalid or inconclusive. Therefore, a need for effective strategies of engaging the patients and continued support to trial participants is needed to alleviate the problem. 

How to Overcome the Challenges with the Consulting Firms

Biotech consulting firms, pharma consulting firms, or life science consulting firms offer expertise and resources that improve site selection processes and overall trial success. 

Conclusion

Clinical trial site selection is a complex but vital part of drug development. The statistics presented here clearly pinpoint the large hurdles faced in this regard. In more recent times, with greater awareness of such issues and by leveraging the services of highly specialized consulting firms, sponsors have been able to better plan strategies for their trials regarding site selection and have tended to be more resource-efficient, hence bringing new therapies faster to market. 

For more information on how we at BioBoston Consulting can help your organization, please do not hesitate to reach out to us today or visit our website at your convenience.