The Rise Of Decentralized Clinical Trials

At the turn of the 21st century, the life sciences industry began to envision a different way to conduct clinical trials. The rise of technology such as electronic data capture (EDC) helped pave the way for the first electronic clinical trial systems. And in the coming years, electronic clinical outcome assessments (eCOA) and electronic informed consent (eConsent) would be pioneered across the industry for the first time.

In 2011, Pfizer took the first step toward decentralization, conducting the first-ever “virtual” clinical trial.

Now, in 2021, the era of decentralization is truly here. A late 2020 survey by Oracle Life Sciences highlights that we’re at the tipping point, with 76 percent of surveyed trial organizations investing in a shift to decentralized clinical trials (DCTs).