What Clinical Teams Should Know About Changing Trial Logistics

When it comes to clinical supplies, the journey is every bit as important as the destination. And these days, the journey of clinical supplies to investigator sites is becoming costlier and more complex, much like the global trials for which the materials are bound.

The price of failure is high. A supply shortfall, or the inability to deliver needed supplies to clinical sites, can delay the start of a trial or cause an ongoing one to grind to a halt. Supply shortages can imperil an entire development program and prevent study patients from receiving the drugs a sponsor has committed to provide.

It’s no wonder that supply chain logistics are estimated to account for as much as 25 percent of total annual pharmaceutical R&D costs1. These cost pressures are projected to grow as a result of an evolution that is altering the clinical trial landscape and generating complex supply chain challenges.

Much in the way that a GPS constantly adjusts to accommodate shifting traffic patterns and other obstacles, clinical supply chain logistics are adapting to accommodate these developments.

In addition to discussing how supply logistics are changing, this paper contains examples of how Fisher Clinical Services is deploying flexible solutions to ensure secure, efficient and cost-effective passage of clinical supplies.