Patient centricity will change the CRO space, according to new research

The growing focus on patient-centric drug development will reshape how CROs and clinical trial sponsors interact over the next few years, according to new analysis.

Management consulting group BCG made the prediction last week, arguing that while spending on outsourced drug trials will increase, how the money is spent will change as a result of efforts to better engage with the people who take part.

“Three longer-term trends have the potential to reshape the industry in the next five to 10 years: shifting roles and needs of patients and trial sites; increased adoption of advanced technologies and AI; and sponsors changing sourcing strategies.

“The potential impact of the coming changes is strong enough to warrant the attention of CRO management teams making strategy and investment decisions today,” the authors wrote.

To respond, CROs will need to change how they approach the provision of clinical trial services, according to the BCG team.

“Forward-looking companies can position themselves to accelerate growth by investing in capabilities that will solidify their standing and ensure sustained relevance in the medium to long term.

“The big decision will be between spreading investment across all three trends to keep up in each area and doubling down in one area, such as technology and AI, while taking an investment-light approach to the others,” they said.

Patient centricity

One area CROs should consider is enhancing their ability to reach patients, according to the BCG authors, who suggested some contractors have already started to shift away from traditional research site-based study models.

“We are already seeing one concrete shift: the rise of the so-called patient-centered “trial-in-a-box” model pushed by the American Medical Association and National Institutes of Health, among others, which involves finding patients first, then setting up trial sites around them.

“Patients are identified from various real-world data sets, such as electronic medical records, insurance, and social media, using advanced analytics and processing tools,” they wrote.

Whether the CRO sector can fully adapt to more patient-centric approaches remains to be seen. However, for contractors that can change, there are significant opportunities for growth, according to BCG.

“The shift to more patient-centered models could lead to the disruption of current value pools that amount to some $4 billion and potential new value pools that could total about $8 billion.

“The drivers of disruption include efficiencies gained from optimized endpoint collection, automated data collection, integration with other facilities, and site setup. New value will result from accelerating time to market through faster patient recruitment, improved retention, optimized trial design, and new site setup.

“There is also additional upside potential with expansion into new geographies with integrated patient data,” they wrote.

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