In 2020 we saw a significant rise in the use of technology in clinical trials. The primary reason for this was the Covid-19 outbreak, forcing pharma companies and trial sites alike to look for solutions to ensure study continuity in times of a pandemic.
Where only 18% of respondents to a recent survey answered that 50% of their site visits were performed remotely in 2019, in 2020, 76% responded to this question with yes. It is expected that by 2022, generally, 50% or more of the monitoring visits will be done in a virtual model. This data shows that technology has increasingly found its way into clinical trials, a trend that will continue in 2021 and beyond.
However, not only site monitoring has fundamentally changed, but also other areas developed an entirely new approach to how clinical trials are organized and executed. In 2021, telemedicine technology, like Exom Group's Genius ROSA, will further expand the decentralized or virtual clinical trial approach.
Of course, the main reason for implementing remote monitoring technologies is the benefits they bring to a trial, such as the patient's convenience, the real-time data and insights, time and resource savings, and comfort for site staff, as well as time/resource savings for sponsors.
Telemedicine will enable underserved study populations living in rural areas to participate in clinical trials.
