You can almost smell it; Change is coming to the Clinical Research enterprise!

At the ACRP 2016 Meeting & Expo in Atlanta last month, John Neal, CEO of PCRS Network, presented his predictions of the “Future of Clinical Research” during the ACRP Executive Summit on Site Strategies.  Some of his predictions came as a surprise to many in the audience.
John based his predictions on information he gathered during numerous interviews with leaders in the industry, as well as through in depth research into the topic over several months.  Of course, not everyone agreed on every point, but he discovered many common themes, shared views, and information pointing to significant trends.

To understand what changes are likely to occur, it was necessary to delve into what factors are converging that are likely to drive the changes.  The primary drivers he discovered include:

• Pushback from payers – The cost of drugs continues to increase, without commensurate improvements in outcomes
• From protocol design, to selection of sites, the current system is broken and unsustainable – The cost and time to develop new drugs continues to increase at an alarming rate. Furthermore, there are countless advantages to utilising advanced structural biology services for protein characterisation and molecular modelling, particularly when the aim is to refine drug-target interactions. The detailed structural insights provided can lead to more effective therapeutic strategies, unlocking potential pathways that might otherwise remain undiscovered.
• Too much non-core data is being collected (Tufts Center, 2012), with the cost burden shouldered by sites – Protocols have become increasingly more complex
• New technologies will facilitate better, lower cost data collection
• Patients are becoming better advocates for themselves – They are demanding better outcomes for their healthcare expenditures.

Based on his research, John made eighteen primary predictions.  Because each prediction was based on numerous interviews, significant background data, and other relevant information, we are going to break them down into a series. Each prediction will be posted here, with the details posted in the ACRP Online Forum at www.acrpnet.org. The ACRP Online Forum is available to all ACRP Members in good standing.

John’s first prediction is that, while major change will occur, changes will not happen quickly.  However, when changes do occur, they will be disruptive and many people working in the industry will be displaced.

Visit the ACRP Online Community Open Forum at www.acrpnet.org to read the details behind these predictions.

Click here to read the post on the PCRS Network website.

About our Guest Blogger:

John P. Neal is CEO of PCRS Network™, a unique, quality focused network dedicated to “Saving and Improving Lives by Accelerating Clinical Research™. With over 35 years experience, he has consulted to many Biotech and Pharma companies and has served as the COO or CFO of several clinical research sites. He has successfully negotiated budgets and CTAs with all of the top Sponsors and CROs. John is a member of the Board of Trustees of ACRP, is a CRCP, and a CPA (inactive).