The era of the digital clinical trial may already be upon us
thanks to the impacts of COVID-19. While conceptualisations
of the 'digital patient' and technology-integrated clinical
trials were somewhat futuristic even in 2019, with COVID-19
grinding clinical trials to a halt in 2020, the life sciences
industry may be forced to pivot into this conceptualised digital
era much faster than anticipated – and, unlike most
COVID-related impacts, this isn't bad news. While this
presents an exciting opportunity for life sciences and bio
technology stakeholders to digitally innovate the clinical trial
process, steps toward digital innovation should be matched with
increased attention to regulatory caveats, patient privacy and data
protection.
