New therapies, once patented, are granted only a limited window of exclusivity. Time is therefore the ultimate determinant of financial gain or loss in their development. Every day saved—or lost—directly impacts the financial investment and the potential return for pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
The single greatest expense and biggest risk in bringing a new therapy to market is clinical research. Failure to achieve regulatory approval and deliver a new treatment to patients can be enough to sink small- to medium-sized companies and even inflict considerable damage on well-established pharmaceutical powerhouses.
It is no surprise, then, that sponsors are eager to launch clinical trials as quickly as possible. Yet, achieving this remains challenging: study-site start-ups are still lengthy,1and both patient enrollment and retention remain low.2 Furthermore, the post-pandemic landscape has seen the number of Principal Investigators (PIs) willing to participate in research dwindle, with two-thirds reportedly leaving clinical research after just one study.3
Site networks that actively collaborate with and support their research sites have the capability to not just address these costly and time-consuming bottlenecks, but actually accelerate both study start-up and enrollment.4
Not Just Any Site Network
A site network built to empower sites, sponsors, and, most importantly, patients is one that aligns their shared goals without resorting to a one-size-fits-all approach. This is paramount to ensuring optimal delivery of results.
Not every site is suitable for every trial, and a high-quality site network will have a deep understanding of the unique capabilities of their various sites. Furthermore, they will possess greater insight into the local patient population and whether they are a good fit for a specific trial. This “inside information” not only speeds up site selection and activation but also sets those sites up for successful patient enrollment and, crucially, retention.
The most effective site networks have built an efficient, well-supported ecosystem of sites—blending experienced, trial-naïve, virtual, and satellite locations. By bolstering these with additional staff and decentralized clinical trial (DCT) elements, such as in-home health visits, they are capable of expanding the geographic reach of clinical trials. This makes participation possible for new patient pools in both rural and urban locations. Those that have built a truly global network are capable of facilitating studies that span countries and continents, providing sponsors with access to global markets.
The Win For Sponsors, Sites & Patients
By choosing a site network that empowers its sites through support and enhanced reach, sponsors immediately gain a significant advantage. The burden of identifying, contracting with, and initiating multiple sites is centralized and taken care of by a dedicated team. This same team is also able to identify which sites are best equipped, or which require additional training, in order to meet and potentially shorten trial timelines.
Sites that join a network respecting their autonomy and focusing on support, not dictation, also win. They are empowered to take on clinical research they otherwise may not have had the capacity or skillset to confidently undertake. Furthermore, pressures are lessened as they know they have a dedicated team supporting them throughout the process.
At the end of the day, it is patients who ultimately win – gaining access to potentially life-changing clinical trials they may not have had access to before. This impact is even greater when these trials are delivered by a network that is truly patient-centric and community-focused, bringing trials to patients where they are: in the community, home, workplace, or other suitable location of choice.
Show me how MRN brings trials to patients.
References:
- Lamberti MJ, et al. Assessing Study Start-up Practices, Performance, and Perceptions Among Sponsors and Contract Research Organizations, Ther Innov Regul Sci. 2018 Sep;52(5):572-578. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29714558/. Last Accessed December 2025.
- Fogel DB. Factors associated with clinical trials that fail and opportunities for improving the likelihood of success: A review, Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2018 Aug 7;11:156-164. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6092479/. Last Accessed December 2025.
- McKinsey & Company. Accelerating clinical trials to improve biopharma R&D productivity, Jan 2024. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/accelerating-clinical-trials-to-improve-biopharma-r-and-d-productivity. Last Accessed December 2025.
- Condon DL, et al. A cross-cutting approach to enhancing clinical trial site success: The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Network of Dedicated Enrollment Sites (NODES) model, Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2017 Mar 29;6:78-84. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5936861/. Last Accessed December 2025.