Respiratory clinical trials: how researchers are breathing life into important medical advances
Research into respiratory diseases now accounts for one in every 20 clinical trials happening around the world*. Thousands of respiratory clinical trials are actively recruiting volunteers to take part in their studies, including hundreds of trials searching for breakthroughs in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and thousands of trials attempting to make vital progress in tackling lung disease.
The sheer scale of this effort tells its own story. Respiratory diseases – those that impact the airways and lungs – are among the most widespread, challenging, and life-threatening that humanity faces. More than half a billion people suffer from chronic respiratory diseases**. Only heart disease and cancer account for more deaths each year, with one in every 14 fatalities related directly to respiratory diseases.
If significant progress can be achieved in the prevention, determination, and treatment of chronic respiratory diseases, the impact could be huge. Millions of people could potentially enjoy longer, healthier lives. With improved health comes the potential for increases in mental wellbeing, whether that’s from restoring the ability for people to travel or even in just making everyday pleasures, like taking a stroll to the shop, more possible than before.
Respiratory research is looking to the future
In an effort to accelerate progress in chronic respiratory disease research, we are seeing consistent evidence of CROs and wider teams embracing and adopting new tools and new ways of working.
After studying the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in respiratory medicine, a global team consisting of researchers from universities and the pharmaceutical industry – geographically spread from Vancouver through to Basel, Singapore, and Sydney – has confirmed AI has the potential to be both faster and more accurate than humans in evaluating multiple issues at the same time***.
At the same time, decentralised clinical trials continue to advance at pace. Mayo Clinic Florida is recruiting volunteers for a study that will determine whether remote monitoring technology can reduce the number of crashing COVID-19 patients arriving at its ICU department, and whether both quality of care and patient satisfaction can be increased****. A study assessing how well a smartphone app helps asthma patients manage their symptoms is also recruiting for participants*****.
Decentralised trials provide new opportunities to accelerate learning, but they come with a range of important challenges. These can include guaranteeing data security, especially from the latest generation of connected devices. Our helpful guide of seven key questions CROs should ask their equipment suppliers has been well received across the research industry.
International cooperation remains paramount in respiratory clinical trials. Researchers in the United States, Canada, and Europe are working with 270 volunteers across 40 study centres in an effort to assess the safety and efficacy of bronchial rheoplasty in adult COPD patients******. These cross-border teams are certain to need the support of suppliers offering global stocking and warehousing capabilities, with fast deliveries from dedicated healthcare hubs, guaranteed regulatory compliance, and customs clearance all high on their priorities.
Choosing the right equipment supplier for your clinical trials is always a critical task. A wrong decision here can have impacts that ripple through the rest of the trial’s schedule, potentially causing significant delays and even funding disruption. Over many years, our team at Woodley Trial Solutions has become acutely aware of the pitfalls and opportunities in clinical research programmes. We’re here to help you make your respiratory trial the best possible success.
If you’re a CRO looking for reliable, compliant, and timely equipment supplies for your next respiratory clinical trial, contact us today. Our friendly team will be happy to help.
* https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248657/clinical-drug-trials-by-key-therapeutic-area/
** https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284317/
*** https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221321982100194X#sec5
**** https://www.mayo.edu/research/clinical-trials/cls-20488752
****** https://www.lung.org/research/clinical-trials/find-a-clinical-trial/rhesolve
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