BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Moving Beyond a Buzzword: How small- to mid-sized biotechs can adopt patient centricity in oncology trials

Guest Commentary: Even small steps toward patient engagement can improve cancer trial recruitment, reduce costs

July 13, 2019 1:48 AM UTC

A major benefit of integrating the patient voice into clinical trials is the ability to speed enrollment, yet few companies take advantage of this due to the perception that it is too costly and time-consuming. We maintain that a tailored, step-wise approach to patient centricity can make it feasible even for small companies.

Despite the fact that 70% of Americans have reported being inclined or even very willing to participate in a trial, only about 5% of adult cancer patients are enrolled in clinical trials, according to an FDA report released in May. While eligibility criteria exclude some of these patients, many more could participate. Adopting patient-centric elements into oncology clinical trials has the potential to significantly impact recruitment and retention...