In 2024, the Innovative Trials team continued to push the boundaries of clinical trial patient recruitment and retention more than ever. We have always believed the most successful strategies center around patients’ lives and needs, which led us to launch our Patient Support Center (Navigator) in 2023 and the Retention Patch Program for pediatric studies last February. Our initiatives are going from strength to strength, benefitting patients and our clients, and attracting interest from across the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.
As we begin 2025 and look forward to driving more innovation in the next 12 months, our Founder and CEO, Kate Shaw, reflects on the highs and lows of the last year. If I had to describe the Innovative Trials team in three words, they would probably be ‘brave’, ‘creative’ and ‘resilient’. Last year was an uncertain one for the pharmaceutical industry – we saw continued delays to clinical trials starting and moving between phases, and the pipeline still hasn’t fully recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic – but despite these challenges, the team continued to innovate and develop new solutions to boost clinical trial patient recruitment and retention.
Some particular highlights include
- The continued success of the Patient Support Center (Navigator) for referral pre-screening and retention
- Launching the Retention Patch Program – a joint initiative with Oliver Patch Project, a US non-profit organization, to boost pediatric clinical trial patient retention
- Expanding our client base and securing preferred vendor status with a growing pool of major players in the pharmaceutical sector
- Increased recognition from our industry peers and beyond.
The continued success of our Patient Support Center
Interest in, and demand for, our Patient Support Center (Navigator), which focuses on patient referral pre-screening and retention, continued to build throughout the last 12 months. Launched in 2023, it has already demonstrated measurable results in expediting the process of clinical trial patient recruitment through its patient referral pre-screening and boosting patient retention by providing participants with a consistent point of contact for information, guidance and support. Throughout 2024, our Patient Support Center became increasingly popular, reflecting its growing reputation for driving positive outcomes in patient recruitment and retention. Its success is a testament to the whole team’s hard work and dedication. Our Patient Support Center is also an important reminder not to lose the human element in clinical trial patient recruitment and retention. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) have the opportunity to transform healthcare and clinical trials and while these will bring benefits, we cannot forget that a clinical trial, at its core, is a human experience. Study participants are people who are often at a vulnerable point in their lives, and there is no substitute for human connection and empathy to help support each person through their unique clinical trial journey. This is what our Patient Support Center provides.
Retention Patch Program launch
Developing and launching the Retention Patch Program has been one of our major successes to date and something I am extremely proud of. As an industry, we talk a lot about the challenge of clinical trial patient recruitment, but retaining study participants is just as important, if not more so. Without enough people volunteering to take part in a clinical trial, sponsors won’t get the robust data they need to satisfy regulators. It risks potentially life-changing treatments never making it to market, which would be devastating for patients. We know that around 30% of participants are likely to drop out of studies and it is vital we find ways to reverse this. The idea for the Retention Patch Program came about following a discussion with Brian Burkhardt, the co-founder of the Oliver Patch Project, at the Society for Clinical Research Sites (SCRS) Site Solutions Summit 2023. We spoke about the work the non-profit is doing to empower children and teenagers with cancer and other conditions, including mental health challenges, through the use of collectible and unique clothing patches, and how this could be applied to clinical trials to boost patient retention.
Over the next few months, we worked with Brian and his team to develop the Retention Patch Program, which we launched at SCOPE in February 2024. Collaborating with the Oliver Patch Project on this initiative has been a joy and there is already a lot of buzz about it. Since its launch last year, several sponsors have signed up and the Retention Patch Program has gone global. So far, more than 3,000 patches have been handed out to 60 children and teenagers during their clinical trial journey in over 16 countries. The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is also interested in the initiative; it’s fantastic that so many organizations can already see the program’s value and its role in boosting clinical trial patient retention.
Expanding our client base
Pleasingly, our focus on patients and drive to set new benchmarks in excellence for clinical trial patient recruitment and retention has not gone unnoticed. Even in the face of what was a challenging year, Innovative Trials successfully expanded its client base by 12.5%, further solidifying our reputation as a trusted partner in clinical trials. We also made some senior business appointments, such as welcoming Ian Keith as Finance and Business Services Director, to capitalize on this momentum and drive business growth. I am delighted that Innovative Trials has been selected as a preferred vendor for a new client, one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world, and requalified for preferred vendor status with one of our longest clients, another world-leading pharma company. This means that in 2025, we have the opportunity to accelerate access to life-changing treatments for more patients than ever.
Recognizing success
Our work is being increasingly recognized across the industry with our projects regularly featuring in award shortlists. At the most recent Pharma Industry Awards UK, Navigator was named a finalist in the Innovation of the Year category. Meanwhile, the Retention Patch Program was nominated for a 2024 Pharmaceutical Market Excellence Award (PMEA). For both initiatives to be acknowledged by industry peers in this way is a real achievement and I am sure we can turn these nominations into award wins in the near future. Our commitment to female equality in the workplace has also been publicly noted. Following a large-scale analysis by J.P. Morgan, Innovative Trials was named the second fastest-growing woman-powered UK business in the clinical research sector last year, and part of the top 200 overall. This is especially important as women continue to be severely underrepresented in STEM, but their contributions to the workplace can be invaluable. Both I and the wider senior leadership team at Innovative Trials are committed to ensuring a diverse workforce where everyone’s contributions are recognized and opportunities are awarded equitably.
Finally, on a personal note, it was a huge honor to win the Woman in Pharma award at the Pharma Industry Awards UK last year. Everything I have done and achieved in my career has been with patients in mind. It’s what has always driven me (and always will), and I am grateful that the entire team at Innovative Trials shares this mindset, which is what helps make the difference to our clients. I also think that, if we’re going to get more women into STEM careers, it’s really important for them to see what’s possible and what is being achieved by women already in those fields.
As I look back on 2024, it is clear that keeping patients at the heart of what we do and focusing on their needs has been, and continues to be, fundamental to Innovative Trials’ success. I am excited by the opportunities ahead and I wish everyone a prosperous and fruitful 2025.
