Life sciences industry demands unified clinical applications, according to report

In the Veeva 2017 Unified Clinical Operations Survey, it was revealed that there is an industrywide drive towards a unified clinical operating model, with more than half of respondents citing it will help with faster study execution and quality.

The research highlighted that there is at least one major challenge with clinical applications for most respondents, with the top two challenges revealed as integrating multiple applications and reporting across applications. On average, the companies surveyed were using four third-party developed applications, which potentially led to discrepancies in knowledge and reporting and time delays in trials.

It was shown in the report that companies have started moving towards unified operations by introducing newer, more advanced applications and platforms. A major shift in trial master file (TMF) management over the past four years was highlighted with nearly a third of respondents now using an advance eTMF application — double the proportion seen in 2014.

Moreover, companies stated that they anticipate an increase in clinical trial management systems (CTMS) investments by almost 15% each year until 2020, which is reported as being driven by rising demand for data and site collection solutions and the availability of next-generation CTMS applications. The majority of respondents (98%) specified that challenges with CTMS applications is limiting the ability to improve clinical operations.

“The industry’s transition toward a unified clinical environment is being driven by its need to address the silos legacy systems have created,” said Jennifer Goldsmith, senior vice-president of Veeva Vault. “Life sciences companies are taking steps to streamline their end-to-end processes and systems with modern applications so they can execute faster and improve visibility across their study portfolios.”

This survey examines the life sciences progress toward a unified clinical environment by gathering the experiences and opinions of 300 clinical operations professionals from around the world. It examines the drivers, barriers and benefits of a unified clinical operating model and tracks the move to streamline clinical systems and processes.

In related news, Veeva announced the growing momentum it has seen for its unified clinical environment platform, the Veeva Vault CTMS, as customers drive towards a unified clinical operating model. Full results of the survey and the company’s cloud based solutions will be discussed in detail during the DIA Annual event, currently taking place in Chicago.