COVID-19 affected clinical trial planning: Survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented several operational challenges for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry.

GlobalData had conducted a survey to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic affected clinical trial planning for clinical trial sponsors, collaborators or contract research organisations (CROs).

An analysis of the survey reveals that 30% of the respondents believe that the pandemic would impact patient recruitment, while 17% of the companies felt that investigator recruitment would be affected. ​

Impact of COVID-19 Social Distancing Measures on Clinical Trials​

Another 17% of the respondents highlighted that the pandemic will disrupt the supply of clinical trial materials due to restrictions and lockdowns measures.

Furthermore, 14% of the respondents are planning to either cancel or postpone trials, while another 10% opnied that regulator resources are stretched amid the pandemic.

Around 5% of the surveyed companies are mulling to change the location of the trial, while 4% noted that they have no clinical trials planned in the next two years.

Only 4% of the respondents said that the COVID-19 pandemic will not affect their trial programmes.

The analysis is based on responses received from the GlobalData Coronavirus Survey – Pharmaceutical Imports/Exports and Supply Chain, 2020 conducted between 13 March and 24 March 2020.