In today’s ACT Brief, we examine how sites can avoid both fear-driven and overly aggressive AI adoption, why community-based research needs sustained financial investment, and why patient access matters more than organizational size.
News|Podcasts|January 19, 2026
ACT Brief: Closing Gender Gaps in Parkinson’s Research, Startup Communication Breakdowns, and a New White House Healthcare Plan
Author(s)Andy Studna, Senior Editor
In today’s ACT Brief, we look at efforts to address sex-based evidence gaps in Parkinson’s disease research, why communication failures continue to delay study startup, and how a new White House healthcare plan aims to reduce drug and insurance costs.
This is the Applied Clinical Trials Brief—your fast track to the latest insights shaping clinical operations and drug development.
- A new Applied Clinical Trials contributed article
examines how women remain underrepresented in Parkinson’s disease research despite accounting for a large share of patients worldwide. Persistent gaps in sex-stratified data continue to limit precision medicine approaches. Programs such as the Critical Path Institute’s GEM-PD initiative are working to improve inclusion through digital health tools and real-world data. - In an Applied Clinical Trials video
interview , Brian Mallon of ICON says communication breakdowns between sponsors, CROs, and sites remain a major driver of delayed study startup. He notes that communication is often one-directional and fails to adequately support site needs. Improving collaboration, he says, is key to reducing activation timelines. - On January 15, President Trump
announced the Great Healthcare Plan, which proposes lowering healthcare costs through drug price reforms and greater pricing transparency. The plan includes most-favored-nation drug pricing and new disclosure requirements for insurers and providers. The White House says the proposal is designed to deliver direct cost savings to patients.
That’s all for today’s ACT Brief. Join us tomorrow for more updates shaping clinical operations and drug development. Thanks for listening.
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