News

In today’s ACT Brief, we close out our McKinsey interview series with a look at how AI could transform clinical trials end to end, review new Phase III data supporting Gilead’s investigational HIV regimen, and examine an FDA approval that reshapes first-line treatment for HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer.

Learn how clinical operations leaders can build technology adoption, transform workflows, and cultivate digitally savvy talent to successfully implement AI across the entire clinical trial lifecycle.

Results from the Phase III ARTISTRY-2 study show that a fixed-dose combination of bictegravir and lenacapavir achieved non-inferior efficacy to Biktarvy in adults with HIV who switched therapy, supporting Gilead’s plans to advance the regimen toward regulatory submission alongside data from ARTISTRY-1.

In today’s ACT Brief, we look at new evidence showing how targeted training can build research readiness at community cancer centers, explore McKinsey’s view on how digital tools can make trials more patient-centric and geographically inclusive, and review new Phase III results that could reshape obesity and osteoarthritis treatment.

Discover how remote assessments, wearables, and digital technologies can decentralize data collection, reduce patient burden, and enable trials to reach more diverse and representative populations.

This pilot project evaluated whether targeted training could strengthen clinical research capacity at community cancer centers, improve readiness to conduct oncology trials, and support more inclusive patient enrollment by addressing barriers, building foundational skills, and increasing staff confidence in trial implementation.

In today’s ACT Brief, we examine new data on how AI is improving the accuracy and speed of COA localization, break down McKinsey’s perspective on why trials must expand beyond AMCs and into routine care settings, and highlight the FDA’s latest approval of a targeted biologic for generalized myasthenia gravis.

Explore how expanding clinical trials into community and nontraditional sites, simplifying protocols, and leveraging AI can broaden patient access and bridge the gap between real-world care and research.

New data show that applying AI to the migration of translated COAs into eCOA platforms can meaningfully reduce errors, accelerate localization workflows, and support broader global patient participation—while still relying on human reviewers to ensure linguistic precision and clinical integrity.

See how combining human oversight with AI insights improves protocol authorship, site selection, and monitoring strategies, delivering better decisions than AI-only or human-only approaches.

As highly effective anti-obesity therapies emerge and regulatory expectations evolve, sponsors are adopting innovative trial designs, addressing long-term weight maintenance, monitoring lean mass preservation, and preparing for expanded safety and demographic requirements that will define the next era of obesity R&D.

Explore how AI can optimize study design, speed patient recruitment, and streamline operational workflows to shorten development timelines and enhance trial efficiency.

In today’s ACT Brief, we break down FDA’s new superiority requirement reshaping CAR-T development, examine Pfizer’s global move into oral small-molecule GLP-1 therapy, and highlight new MONALEESA findings that reinforce long-term disease control with Kisqali.

New FDA guidance signals a major shift for CAR-T development, calling for randomized trials with standard-of-care control groups and clear evidence of superiority over existing therapies, while simultaneously easing REMS requirements to reduce logistical burdens for treatment centers and patients.

In today’s ACT Brief, we explore how stronger vendor–sponsor governance is speeding eCOA study startup, hear from AMR Clinical on the biggest opportunities to advance site operations and collaboration, and highlight new long-term data supporting earlier use of Carvykti in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Gain insights into the operational challenges facing clinical research sites today, learn what sponsors and CROs can do to reduce burden, and explore how evolving collaboration models and technology will shape clinical trials over the next five years.

Strong relational governance between technology vendors and sponsor–CRO teams is becoming a critical foundation for eCOA trial success, enabling faster study launches, clearer communication, proactive issue management, and sustained quality across entire trial portfolios.

In today’s ACT Brief, we look at how AI and in-silico methods are reshaping drug repurposing, why staggered ICH GCP rollouts are creating new operational pressure points, and the FDA’s latest CAR-T approval expanding treatment options in B-cell malignancies.

Learn how sponsors and CROs are adapting to evolving ICH GCP requirements while maintaining innovation in high-touch areas, ensuring patient protection, and preserving data integrity across global clinical trials.

AI-driven discovery, EHR-based real-world evidence, and synthetic patient modeling are rapidly reshaping drug repurposing, reducing development timelines, expanding therapeutic applications, and accelerating regulatory acceptance of computational approaches.

In today’s ACT Brief, we look at what’s fueling rapid growth in CNS and autoimmune research, why former FDA leaders are warning that new vaccine policies could reshape clinical development, and how the agency’s latest leadership change may influence drug review operations.

Investigate how sponsors are responding to rapid growth in obesity drug development, including strategies for manufacturing, supply chain optimization, dosing innovations, and combination therapies to meet market and patient needs.

Twelve former FDA leaders have publicly challenged the agency’s proposed overhaul of vaccine approvals, sparked by an internal memo linking child deaths to COVID-19 vaccination, arguing the changes threaten evidence-based standards, weaken immunobridging practices, and risk eroding public trust.

In today’s ACT Brief, we look at new insights on strategy-driven clinical development, fresh survey data revealing persistent site startup delays, and major leadership turnover inside FDA’s drug division.

Explore the drivers behind increased investment in CNS and autoimmune trials, including pain, mental health, and inflammatory conditions, and see how technology, decentralized trials, and hybrid designs are shaping study operations.

ICON’s June 2025 survey of more than 100 investigators and site leaders reveals persistent bottlenecks in study startup driven by contract and budget delays, slow activation timelines, and insufficient collaboration from sponsors and CROs.

Examine the rise of personalized and biomarker-driven therapies, the logistical challenges of rare patient populations, and how historical controls and real-world evidence are supporting strategy-driven trial designs.

In today’s ACT Brief, we look at the FDA’s deployment of an agency-wide agentic AI platform, review new data showing how structured exercise programs can improve long COVID symptoms, and explore how PROs and real-world evidence are reshaping how industry measures treatment impact.