New Ways to Recruit Trial Subjects

Clinical trials are a vital step toward bringing new drugs to market. U.S.-based clinical trial activities increased by 6% in 2001, the largest rise since 1990.1 But although pharmaceutical companies pay close attention to the science when designing their clinical trials, few consider how they will get enough subjects to participate. As a result, most trials are plagued by delays that can cost pharmaceutical companies millions of missed sales. Delays in getting a drug to market are estimated to cost companies around $1 million a day.2