Reports revisited: What we learned this year

Clinical trial study design: 'one size does not fit all'​​

The rate of false positives in clinical trials should be set higher for certain hard-to-treat cancers, suggest researchers.

Single-source outsourcing model saves pharma sponsors $45m, Tufts report​​

Sponsors using a single-source outsourcing partner could potentially save up to $45m through reduced time to market, according to a recent Tufts study.

Report: study design flaws slowing Parkinson's research​​

Researchers need to design more translationally relevant animal studies to improve the potential for success in human clinical trials, according a recent report.

Poor provider engagement drives low patient recruitment, says Tufts​​

Poor communication between healthcare providers and clinical research professionals is contributing to low recruitment rates, according to a recent study by Tufts.

Report: CRO turnover spikes outside the US, remains steady stateside​​

An increasing number of clinical trials and a decreasing amount of unemployment are creating a significant talent demand as the contract research industry continues to experience employee turnover.

'Easy to work with' tops CRO benchmarking report​​

With or without a preferred provider – what do pharma sponsors look for in a contract research organization?

Cost, risk, on-time and in-full: Defining value in the customer-supplier relationship​​

Pharmaceutical companies are more likely than their suppliers to cite cost improvement over time as the most effective metric for measuring supplier performance, according to a recent report.

GBSI report outlines steps to improve preclinical research reproducibility​​

The Global Biological Standards Institute (GBSI) has outlined an action plan after finding the frequency of irreproducible preclinical research exceeds 50% – costing the US nearly $28bn.

Lower participation, slower studies delaying Alzheimer's research, says IRB​​

At least 50,000 volunteers are needed to participate in clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease – the global cost of which is expected to reach $2 trillion by 2030.

High-risk of issues in high-risk device trials, say researchers​​

Clinical trials supporting changes to high-risk medical devices often lack quality data, according to a recent report.

CMOs need to increase awareness of offerings, ISR reports​​

A "new set of leaders" emerged in the contract manufacturing organization (CMO) industry over the past year, though many remain unheard of, according to a recent report.

Concise without compromise: clinical trial consent forms need reader-friendly revamp​​

Clinical trial consent forms should be more concise moving forward, say NIH researchers in a recent report.

Of mice and human biology: when promising preclinical candidates fail in clinical trials​​

Researchers have developed and tested a method to determine how relevant mouse models are to human disease to better enable comparison of pharmacological targets across species.

Though willing, minorities still face barriers to clinical trial participation​​

Lack of trust has become less of a barrier to clinical trial participation, though more work needs to be done as information access and service levels receive low marks in a recent survey.

CRO market in Asia to see 'significant increase' through 2020​​

The CRO market in Asia has “massive implications” as it continues to emerge as a preferred destination for clinical trials – a global market expected to reach $57bn by 2020.

CROs, pharma to increase staff dedicated to real world data collection by 25%, Tufts report​​

The industry is expected to use an increasing amount of real world evidence, including social media data, which will be used to support new drug applications, according to a recent Tufts report.

Ignoring misconceptions of clinical research vs. clinical care ‘devalues participants’ dignity’​​

Clinical trial participants often misunderstand the differences between research and clinical care – a ‘longstanding problem’ that an enhanced informed consent process could diminish, says report.

Study database tribulations stunt trial timelines​​

Clinical study database challenges are delaying clinical trial timelines as CROs and sponsors must manage an increasing variety of trial data, according to a recent study.