IQVIA and Veeva Outline Strategy for Supporting Decentralized and Hybrid Trials

In a recent interview with Applied Clinical Trials, Paul Shawah, EVP of Strategy at Veeva Systems, and Richard Staub, President of R&D Solutions at IQVIA, discussed their companies’ new global clinical and commercial partnership. Designed to simplify and accelerate clinical trials, the collaboration aims to maximize value for customers by integrating software, data, and services from both organizations. Early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, underscoring the partnership’s potential to streamline workflows, enhance data quality, and support both traditional and decentralized clinical trial models, ultimately helping sponsors bring therapies to market faster.

ACT: Looking ahead, how do both companies envision their joint clinical strategy evolving to support decentralized or hybrid trials?

Staub: Decentralized and hybrid trials are where technology meets patients more directly than in traditional site-focused studies. Today, EDC captures roughly 38 to 40% of study data, and there are additional sources like ePRO and connected devices. Moving into this space requires technologies that interface not just with sites, but also directly with patients through simple, user-friendly applications with strong UX/UI. By combining our operational expertise in delivering hybrid and decentralized studies with Veeva’s technology expertise, we can provide better solutions for these types of programs.

Shawah: I’d add that it’s an exciting time as the industry shifts toward decentralized trials, giving patients more flexibility to participate at home, in traditional sites, or other care settings. When done well, these approaches allow trials to run faster and more efficiently. Our goal as partners—bringing together advanced technology and expert services—is to enable these new ways of working and to imagine innovative approaches we haven’t yet explored. That’s why we structured this as a long-term partnership. We’re excited about both the near-term impact and the future potential of working with a partner like IQVIA.

Full Interview Summary: IQVIA and Veeva have launched a new global clinical and commercial partnership aimed at simplifying and accelerating clinical trials while maximizing value for customers. The primary goal of the collaboration is customer success—enabling clients to seamlessly access and use software, data, and services from both companies in an efficient, integrated manner. Early feedback on the partnership has been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting its potential to deliver both near-term and long-term benefits.

On the commercial side, the agreement allows customers to combine technologies from IQVIA and Veeva easily. IQVIA has joined Veeva’s technology and services partner programs as an AI partner, opening opportunities for its data to enhance Veeva products, including AI-driven applications. Clinically, IQVIA can leverage Veeva’s full suite of applications, such as Veeva EDC, to streamline study builds and trial execution. By combining the strengths of both organizations, the partnership aims to simplify workflows, improve compliance, and speed up data collection and cleaning, enabling sponsors to bring therapies to market faster.

The collaboration enhances clinical data management by integrating IQVIA’s CRO expertise with Veeva’s technology platforms. This “plug-and-play” approach allows trial sponsors to use the best-fit technologies for each study, improving efficiency and data quality. Sites benefit from user-friendly systems that encourage timely data entry, while sponsors gain faster access to clean, locked data for regulatory submission or progression to the next development phase.

Looking ahead, the partnership is positioned to support decentralized and hybrid trials, where technology interfaces directly with patients in addition to traditional sites. By combining operational expertise with advanced technology, IQVIA and Veeva aim to enable flexible, patient-centric studies that reduce timelines, improve research efficiency, and create new opportunities for innovation in clinical trial design.