MAY 2022LIFE SCIENCES REVIEW8IN MY OPINIONBackground Clinical research remains the backbone of drug development and evidence generation. TheongoingCOVID-19 pandemic in many ways has highlighted the impact clinical trials (CTs) can have on human health. It has brought clinical research to the centerstage from a lay public perspective, in light of accelerated development of several vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2 with their potential impact on public health, and the ongoing search for newer therapies or new uses of marketed medicines to manage COVID-19. Impact of COVID-19 on Clinical Research It is known that the COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to clinical trial (CT) conduct across the globe beyond any doubt. It is estimated that 80% of non-COVID-19 trials were stopped or interrupted because of the pandemic.1The temporary halting ofin-person visits and redirection of resources across hospitals, pharma companies and vendors have unavoidably constrained studies in therapeutic areas other than COVID-19.In a nutshell, the pandemic has placed a tremendous strain on the entire clinical research enterprise.While there was disruption, it also brought renewed focus on finding more efficient ways to conduct CTs. The obvious option for the industry was to explore newer/ emerging technologies to address the numerous constraints and mitigate risks. A recent qualitative study by Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development assessed the impact of COVID-19 on CT execution, involving 25 companies in the US. In addition to many other findings, they found that Telemedicine and eConsent were the most frequently mentioned technologies adopted. ePRO (patient reported outcome) was the next most frequently utilized technology.Many experts also believe that overall, remote technology adoption was more extensive than adoption of remote services (e.g. just IVRS).COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Digital Transformation There is no doubt that the digital transformation wave is changing the world. Digital technologies continue to disrupt nearly every industry and health care is no exception. Many industries have seen rapid adoption of technology and subsequently disruptive innovation in the last few years. This can be attributed to the advent of Internet of Things (IoT), or to mobile phone connectivity which has brought consumers very close to technology- in fact everything virtually in their pockets or hands. Certain industries such as the pharma and clinical research industry were relatively slow in adoption of By Dr. Ammar Raza, Regional Medical Director- Middle East and Africa, Allergan Aesthetics, AbbVie company
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