Adaptive design is a type of clinical trial methodology that incorporates prospectively planned opportunities for modification of one or more aspects of a study’s design or its hypotheses based on interim analysis of study data. Explicitly planning these pre-specified changes helps to maintain scientific integrity while also introducing greater flexibility in the clinical research environment. The major...
When it comes to pediatric analgesic clinical trials, protocols cannot be simply “cut and paste” from adult trials. Likewise, extrapolation of efficacy and risks from adult studies is not always reliable due to developmental and physiological differences. Researchers engaged in pediatric trial design must consider the specific physiology, pharmacology, and normal daily activities for each group being...
Article 50 was triggered on March 29, 2017, and officially started the two-year negotiation period before the U.K. exits the European Union. The uncertainty of Brexit has left researchers and others in the clinical trials industry nervous about their future. Many of the largest changes for researchers in the U.K. depend on what happens during the next...
For a Clinical Endpoint Committee (CEC) to make important decisions, it needs the data to do so. That’s why developing an effective and reliable endpoint data capture strategy is a vital part of working with a CEC. Before starting a clinical trial, sponsors should be able to answer these questions. 1. What needs to be defined?...
The journey to treating fibromyalgia has taken a sometimes circuitous path. After a burst of activity about a decade ago, the pursuit of new therapies took a years-long pause before reigniting in recent years. In the past five years, we’ve performed 16 fibromyalgia clinical trials (more than any other CRO), and here are some reflections...
Acne — specifically acne vulgaris — is the most common skin disorder in the United States, affecting up to 50 million Americans each year. While many cases are restricted to mild manifestations during one’s teenage years, acne is a highly visible condition that can have a major impact on a patient’s quality of life. It’s a disorder with the potential...
One of the first steps in the development process is to create the target product profile (TPP) that defines the projected marketed product label. The TPP helps rule out any pharmacodynamic effects that are no more beneficial than current therapeutic treatments. Developing a TPP is also an opportunity to evaluate intellectual property and ensure that the product has an...
In the early days of fibromyalgia drug research, trial site selection centered almost exclusively on rheumatologists and pain centers. But with more drugs on the market and still more studies underway, there has been significant expansion in the number of sites equipped to conduct this research. Up to a point, anyway. As fibromyalgia therapy matures,...
In our previous CECs blogpost, we reviewed why Clinical Endpoint Committees (CECs) are so crucial for successful trials today. But just how do sponsors establish and operate a CEC? It’s a complex process that can be broken down into these eight key steps: 1. Understand the deep level of commitment required in putting a CEC together....
Patient and parent engagement is crucial for successful pediatric drug trials. That’s why the best strategies are ones that encourage proactive involvement beginning at the early stages of protocol development through study conduct and eventual results-sharing. And that includes input. We partnered with iCAN in 2015 to ask pediatric patients, their family members, and even their friends...