Bringing Solutions Together

As we fully dive into the fall months, conference season for the clinical trials industry is in full swing.With more conferences, comes the unveiling of new solutions. That is precisely what our editor, Andy Studna, witnessed at the 13th annual DPHARM: Disruptive Innovations to Modernize Clinical Research conference in Boston last month. The name certainly holds true to its theme, as several vendors form the industry were in attendance to showcase their latest tools and solutions. As always, the main emphasis was on improving the patient experience. However, "interoperability" seemed to be the show’s prevailing buzzword. It wasn’t necessarily about which solution may be best, but rather, there are so many great innovations out there; how can industry get them to work together?

Some of our coverage from DPHARM is highlighted in this issue on page 5, which can be viewed in the issue PDF. To view the coverage in its entirety, which includes video interviews with KOLs and breakout session recaps, visit our website page at appliedclinicaltrialsonline.com/latest-conference. Stay tuned for more conference coverage soon as Studna is slated to be in attendance for SCOPE Europe in Barcelona Oct. 17-18.

Our feature article in this issue of Applied Clinical Trials focuses on budgets and billing in clinical trials. With so much change in the way industry runs trials as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially apparent in the evolution of decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), study costs are shifting as well. Budget planning, always a significant component in the operational mix, has become more difficult for sponsors. Are they keeping a keener eye on these budgets? Will we see even more change in budgets—and the various influencing factors—in the coming months and years?

The feature piece digs into emerging cost strategies, particularly as they relate to medical device trials, in the new era of digital health technology that has steadily evolved in recent years. Instead of accepting continued budget increases and more complex planning and billing, the author presents case studies for where potential cost savings can be achieved through more routine implementation of DCTs. As the life sciences industry looks for ways to conduct more clinical trials in a streamlined fashion, it's a good example of how the use of digital health technology can be a major aid in reducing costs and containing budgets in drug development.

Thank you for reading.

Mike Hennessy Jr, President and CEO, MJH Life Sciences^®