IQVIA Holdings Inc. announced new evidence that decentralized clinical trials (DCT) deliver measurable benefits for patients, sites and sponsors. With one of the first fact-based examinations of the return on investment of DCTs, IQVIA offers tangible data that can help sponsors calculate the overall benefit of building clinical trials around a decentralized model. DCT models can include a range of elements such as IQVIA's (DCT) Platform and support services, research nursing & phlebotomy solutions, direct-to-patient recruitment, risk-based monitoring, electronic clinical outcomes assessments and e-diaries that allow patients to record data remotely.

In this analysis decentralized trials were assessed against 14 metrics across three categories – productivity, quality, and trial delivery, to determine how a DCT approach compared to traditional study models. The analysis found that sponsors can achieve faster, less expensive, and more engaging trials using DCT driven protocols. Specifically, the findings show substantial reductions in timelines for Final Protocol to First Patient In (FPI), timelines for FPI to Last Patient In, Screen Failure Rate, as well as protocol deviations.

The analysis highlights that, while different trials experienced varying levels of benefits from a DCT approach, making decentralized models part of a clinical research strategy from the outset can lead to significant returns.