Author: MRN
Over a third of a clinical trial’s budget will be spent on trial recruitment, 1 yet almost 80% of trials do not meet their initial enrollment targets and timelines,2 and a staggering 85% of them fail to retain enough patients for the trial to be completed.1 However, given that 50% of trial sites fail to enroll even a single patient,1 those numbers become somewhat less surprising.
These statistics are signifiers of the industry-wide challenges that sites, sponsors and the patients are currently facing – it’s costly and time-consuming to bring new therapies to market for sponsors, it’s resource-heavy and time-consuming for sites to run the trials, and it can be a logistical, financial and time-consuming burden for patients to participate in trials. The message is clear: the way traditional clinical trials are designed and executed no longer works.
As the ones delivering on the trial for sponsors to patients, sites feel these challenges most acutely. They understand that the sponsor wants to get their drug to the approval stage as quickly as possible, as both costs and competition can be high, patient participation has its own set of personal costs, while they themselves are dealing with their own unique challenges – a lack of resources and time, coupled with complex protocols, has taken its toll.
These realities are why MRN has set out to redefine the delivery of clinical trials at sites, creating an innovative, more sustainable pathway forward for any patient and any site in any community.
A Community-focused, Patient-centric Approach
MRN’s focus is to bring clinical trials to patients, no matter where they are. Since 2006, we have delivered clinical trials to patients in their homes and in their communities through in-home and on-site solutions, such as resourcing sites. In 2024, we expanded our ability to make trial participation easier for patients and sites through the creation of a community-focused, yet globally active, site network.
We have consistently seen patient retention exceed 95% and have significantly and routinely increased recruitment at sites – patients find the option to participate from home or at a site that is more local to them, better for them, their families, and overall quality of life during trial participation.
There are many misconceptions that utilizing a site network is expensive for sponsors and will cost sites their independence after joining a network. However, not all site network models are the same – MRN’s community-focused, global site network model is one that focuses on efficiencies, longevity and repeatable site success. By providing a support system that offers access to more knowledge, expertise, support and resourcing, MRN empowers all site types to participate in clinical research.
Gain a deeper understanding of today’s possible solutions to bolster patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials in the latest Applied Clinical Trials Article – discussing the role site networks can play in creating more accessible and efficient sites, which bring research into new communities around the world.