Two new reports find impacts of COVID-19 on clinical trials easing slightly
According to findings released by GlobalData Healthcare (9 July, 2020) disruption caused to clinical trials by the COVID-19 pandemic is beginning to ease slightly. After three months of increasing disruptions to trials largely attributed to suspended enrolment there is some evidence of green shoots.
Trials that were disrupted due to suspended enrolment are showing signs of recovery (disruption down 17.3% compared to last month). However, clinical trials that delayed initiation have gone up 10% and trials that have been impacted by slow enrolment have gone up by 13.9% in the same period. The findings suggest that those trials that were already up and running (with sites and investigators already attached) but paused due to COVID-19 have had more success in restarting than trials seeking to start from scratch.
Another report released last week by clinical trial technology company Medidata found that the numbers of participants enrolling in trials had increased 112% in June when compared with April data. The research found that numbers were still down 30% on figures pre-pandemic and while there are signs of recovery rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in the US are likely to impact further on clinical trials being carried out there. The research by Medidata and reported by Reuters found that some of the biggest increases in numbers were in Europe while US trials have experienced less of a rebound. The report also notes that oncology trials have been impacted to a lesser degree and cardiovascular trials the most.
