As the public's knowledge of clinical trials grows, so does biopharma's difficulty recruiting patients for studies. The Philadelphia Business Journal reports that drug developers have a backlog of experimental drugs that need to be tested in humans, but there's a shortage of participants willing to enroll in clinical trials. High-profile mishaps and other safety issues make the public wary of becoming involved in clinical trials. "Knowledge about clinical trials has increased dramatically. With that awareness, you'd think it would be easier to recruit. But what is happening is we have more clinical trials than ever before and the FDA is requiring more patients be in studies so more safety data can be gathered," notes Liz Moench, president and CEO of MediciGlobal.
Biopharmas and CROs are using a number of methods to reach out to potential clinical trial participants. Some are sticking with traditional media such as radio and newspaper ads, or moving trials overseas. Others are turning to the internet, scanning disease-specific social networking sites for potential volunteers. Boston's Center for Information & Study on Clinical Research Participation (CISCRP) is approaching the issue from another angle. Since 2004 the group has been trying to change public perception about clinical trials, promoting participants as heroes (similar to the strategy used for organ donation).
"The need for outreach and education is clear: 74 percent of the public say that they have no 'real' knowledge of the clinical research process, and 98 percent don't know where and how to identify and evaluate appropriate clinical studies," Diane Simmons, CISCRP's president and CEO, tells the Philadelphia Business Journal. "Even though the public has been exposed to a tremendous number of recruitment ads, response rates are as low today as they were 20 years ago."
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