scholarly journals P439 Patient’ recruitment for a Phase 3 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) programme is significantly increased when accessing the CT-SCOUT™ platform

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S397-S398
Author(s):  
Y Bouhnik ◽  
X Roblin ◽  
R Mrad ◽  
X Hebuterne ◽  
D Laharie ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The main issue when validating new molecules in the field of IBD is insufficient patient recruitment into clinical trials, resulting in a considerable delay and cost increase. The selection of the best recruiting sites is a long and difficult process, especially since study sponsor has no visibility on the activity of the sites, and the sites have no penalties if the objectives are not achieved. The CT-SCOUT™ platform is a web-based solution to help clinicians to pre-screen potential candidate, facilitating the coordination of the research team and providing sponsor and principal investigator visibility into patient recruitment efforts and status on the site. We aimed to compare the recruitment rate in sites using the application according to Premium or Freemium modalities and in sites not equipped with CT-SCOUT™ for IBD clinical trials. Methods We conducted a prospective, multicentre, open-label, observational and comparative study in 25 sites participating in a selected phase 3 IBD clinical trials in France. All sites were proposed to be equipped with CT-SCOUT™, and the recruitment rate was compared according to 3 modalities: a) the Premium mode, giving access to all the functionalities of the application (including specific inclusion/exclusion criteria, possibility of sending notification to the team) in counterpart of which they undertook to use the application; b) the Freemium mode, a basic functionality that only gives the name of the study in the first selection phase; c) sites who were not interested to be equipped. The primary endpoint was the mean number of patients randomised per site per month. Patients screened and those finally randomised were compared in sites equipped (Premium or Freemium) and non-equipped using one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc Tukey test. Results During the recruitment period from 4 to 36 months (mean 24.8 months), 221 and 130 patients were screened and randomised, respectively. The mean number of patients screened and randomised per site per month according to CT-SCOUT™ equipment is reported in the figure below. Conclusion This study shows that sites not equipped with CT-SCOUT™ recruit only a few patients. Among the equipped sites, those with Premium access have a significantly higher randomisation rate than those with limited functionality. Sites equipped with digital pre-screening support to facilitate patient recruitment and provide the sponsor visibility are the best candidates for trials.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S552-S552
Author(s):  
Y Bouhnik ◽  
X Hebuterne ◽  
M Raith ◽  
A Amiot ◽  
C Tanasa Stefanescu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The main issue to validating new molecules in the field of IBD is insufficient patient enrollment into clinical trials, resulting in premature trials termination and cost increase. CT-SCOUT™ platform is a web-based solution to help clinicians to pre-screen potential candidates and facilitating the coordination of the research team. Our aim was to compare the number of patients enrolled in IBD clinical trials in sites equipped or not with CT-SCOUT™. Methods We conducted a prospective, multicenter, open-label, observational study in sites participating to phase 3 trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of etrolizumab in ulcerative colitis (UC, Hickory) and in Crohn’s disease (CD, Bergamot). Recruitment figures were provided by the sponsor, and we considered the 21 French sites equipped with CTscout and 134 sites in other countries not equipped with CT-SCOUT™. The primary endpoint was the mean number of patients randomised per site in both trials. Secondary endpoints included a mean number of patients randomised in each study. Patients screened and those finally randomised were compared in sites equipped and non-equipped using one-way ANOVA followed by post-hoc Tukey test and Mann–Whitney test. Results During the observational period of 40 months (September 2015–December 2018), 644 and 289 patients were screened and randomised in Hickory and/or Gardenia, respectively. There were 307 and 149 patients in 78 sites for Hickory, and 337 and 140 patients for Bergamot in 102 sites. The mean numbers of screened and randomised patients in CT-SCOUT™ equipped sites vs. non-equipped are given in the table. The mean number of patients randomised in Hickory in CT-SCOUT™ sites increased by 4.0 folds as compared with non-equipped sites (p < 0.001). The mean number of patients randomised in Bergamot in CT-SCOUT™ equipped sites has been increased by 1.9-folds as compared with non-equipped sites (p = 0.009). Conclusion This multicentric study demonstrated a significant increase in patient recruitment in IBD clinical trials. Randomisation rates were twice to four times higher in equipped sites compared with non-equipped ones. CT-SCOUT™ appears to be a promising digital solution to the global issue of patient enrollment in clinical trials.


10.2196/22179 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. e22179
Author(s):  
Mette Brøgger-Mikkelsen ◽  
Zarqa Ali ◽  
John R Zibert ◽  
Anders Daniel Andersen ◽  
Simon Francis Thomsen

Background Recruitment for clinical trials continues to be a challenge, as patient recruitment is the single biggest cause of trial delays. Around 80% of trials fail to meet the initial enrollment target and timeline, and these delays can result in lost revenue of as much as US $8 million per day for drug developing companies. Objective This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effectiveness of online recruitment of participants for clinical trials compared with traditional in-clinic/offline recruitment methods. Methods Data on recruitment rates (the average number of patients enrolled in the study per month and per day of active recruitment) and conversion rates (the percentage of participants screened who proceed to enroll into the clinical trial), as well as study characteristics and patient demographics were collected from the included studies. Differences in online and offline recruitment rates and conversion rates were examined using random effects models. Further, a nonparametric paired Wilcoxon test was used for additional analysis on the cost-effectiveness of online patient recruitment. All data analyses were conducted in R language, and P<.05 was considered significant. Results In total, 3861 articles were screened for inclusion. Of these, 61 studies were included in the review, and 23 of these were further included in the meta-analysis. We found online recruitment to be significantly more effective with respect to the recruitment rate for active days of recruitment, where 100% (7/7) of the studies included had a better online recruitment rate compared with offline recruitment (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 4.17, P=.04). When examining the entire recruitment period in months we found that 52% (12/23) of the studies had a better online recruitment rate compared with the offline recruitment rate (IRR 1.11, P=.71). For cost-effectiveness, we found that online recruitment had a significantly lower cost per enrollee compared with offline recruitment (US $72 vs US $199, P=.04). Finally, we found that 69% (9/13) of studies had significantly better offline conversion rates compared with online conversion rates (risk ratio 0.8, P=.02). Conclusions Targeting potential participants using online remedies is an effective approach for patient recruitment for clinical research. Online recruitment was both superior in regard to time efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared with offline recruitment. In contrast, offline recruitment outperformed online recruitment with respect to conversion rate.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette Brøgger-Mikkelsen ◽  
Zarqa Ali ◽  
John R Zibert ◽  
Anders Daniel Andersen ◽  
Simon Francis Thomsen

BACKGROUND Recruitment for clinical trials continues to be a challenge, as patient recruitment is the single biggest cause of trial delays. Around 80% of trials fail to meet the initial enrollment target and timeline, and these delays can result in lost revenue of as much as US $8 million per day for drug developing companies. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis examining the effectiveness of online recruitment of participants for clinical trials compared with traditional in-clinic/offline recruitment methods. METHODS Data on recruitment rates (the average number of patients enrolled in the study per month and per day of active recruitment) and conversion rates (the percentage of participants screened who proceed to enroll into the clinical trial), as well as study characteristics and patient demographics were collected from the included studies. Differences in online and offline recruitment rates and conversion rates were examined using random effects models. Further, a nonparametric paired Wilcoxon test was used for additional analysis on the cost-effectiveness of online patient recruitment. All data analyses were conducted in R language, and <i>P</i>&lt;.05 was considered significant. RESULTS In total, 3861 articles were screened for inclusion. Of these, 61 studies were included in the review, and 23 of these were further included in the meta-analysis. We found online recruitment to be significantly more effective with respect to the recruitment rate for active days of recruitment, where 100% (7/7) of the studies included had a better online recruitment rate compared with offline recruitment (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 4.17, <i>P</i>=.04). When examining the entire recruitment period in months we found that 52% (12/23) of the studies had a better online recruitment rate compared with the offline recruitment rate (IRR 1.11, <i>P</i>=.71). For cost-effectiveness, we found that online recruitment had a significantly lower cost per enrollee compared with offline recruitment (US $72 vs US $199, <i>P</i>=.04). Finally, we found that 69% (9/13) of studies had significantly better offline conversion rates compared with online conversion rates (risk ratio 0.8, <i>P=</i>.02). CONCLUSIONS Targeting potential participants using online remedies is an effective approach for patient recruitment for clinical research. Online recruitment was both superior in regard to time efficiency and cost-effectiveness compared with offline recruitment. In contrast, offline recruitment outperformed online recruitment with respect to conversion rate.


2021 ◽  
pp. 239698732110048
Author(s):  
Jeroen C de Jonge ◽  
Hendrik Reinink ◽  
Bridget Colam ◽  
Iris Alpers ◽  
Alfonso Ciccone ◽  
...  

Introduction The initiation and conduct of randomised clinical trials are complicated by multiple barriers, including delays in obtaining regulatory approvals. Quantitative data on the extent of the delays due to national or local review in randomised clinical trials is scarce. Materials and methods We assessed the times needed to obtain regulatory approval and to initiate a trial site for an academic, EU-funded, phase III, randomised clinical trial of pharmacological prevention of complications in patients with acute stroke in over 80 sites in nine European countries. The primary outcome was the time from the first submission to a regulatory authority to initiation of a trial site. Secondary outcomes included time needed to complete each individual preparatory requirement and the number of patients recruited by each site in the first 6 and 12 months. Results The median time from the first submission to a regulatory authority to initiation of a trial site was 784 days (IQR: 586–1102). The single most time-consuming step was the conclusion of a clinical trial agreement between the national coordinator and the trial site, which took a median of 194 days (IQR: 93–293). A longer time to site initiation was associated with a lower patient recruitment rate in the first six months after initiation (B = –0.002; p = 0.02). Discussion Conclusion In this EU-funded clinical trial, approximately 26 months were needed to initiate a trial site for patient recruitment. The conclusion of a contract with a trial site was the most time-consuming activity. To simplify and speed up the process, we suggest that the level of detail of contracts for academic trials should be proportional to the risks and commercial interests of these trials.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolina Iglesias-Lopez ◽  
Antònia Agustí ◽  
Antonio Vallano ◽  
Merce Obach

Several advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) have been approved in the European Union (EU). The aim of this study is to analyse the methodological features of the clinical trials (CT) that supported the marketing authorization (MA) of the approved ATMPs in the EU. A systematic review of the characteristics of pivotal CT of ATMPs approved in the EU until January 31st, 2021 was carried out. A total of 17 ATMPs were approved and 23 CT were conducted to support the MA (median, 1, range, 1–3). Of those studies, 8 (34.78%) were non-controlled and 7 (30.43%) used historical controls. Only 7 (30.4%) were placebo or active-controlled studies. Among all CT, 21 (91.3%) were open-label and 13 (56.52%) had a single-arm design. To evaluate the primary endpoint, 18 (78.26%) studies used an intermediate and single variable. The median (IQR) number of patients enrolled in the studies was 75 (22–118). To date, ATMPs’ approval in the EU is mainly supported by uncontrolled, single-arm pivotal CT. Although there is a trend toward an adaptive or a life cycle approach, a switch to more robust clinical trial designs is expected to better define the benefit and the therapeutic added value of ATMPs.


2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Y Lam ◽  
Maisha Kelly Freeman ◽  
Marshall E Cates

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the literature discussing the use of modafinil in the treatment of residual symptoms of fatigue in patients with depression. DATA SOURCES: PubMed (1966–March 2007) and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts(1970–March 2007) were searched using the key words modafinil and depression. A manual search of the reference section of the articles retrieved was conducted to identify articles not indexed in either of these sources. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: All articles published in English were evaluated. Studies were included if modafinil was used to treat patients with residual fatigue from depression and the effects were measured with validated fatigue subscales. DATA SYNTHESIS: One retrospective study, 5 open-label trials, and 2 randomized controlled clinical trials met the inclusion criteria for assessment of residual symptoms of fatigue as assessed by commonly used fatigue subscales after modafinil administration. Although improvement with fatigue has occurred with modafinil therapy, literature regarding the topic is limited by the lack of well-controlled clinical trials. Modafinil does appear to improve residual fatigue with depression as evidenced by open-label trials; however, the efficacy of this agent has not been duplicated in randomized controlled trials. The open-label trials that have been conducted often had no comparator and a small number of patients. In addition, outcome measures used in the studies were not consistent between trials. Modafinil appears to be well tolerated, with the main adverse effects being headache and nausea. CONCLUSIONS: Open-label trials indicate that modafinil may be effective in ameliorating fatigue associated with depression; however, this effect has not been reproduced in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. Therefore, the use of modafinil for the treatment of residual fatigue is not recommended due to the lack of reproducible data of its efficacy. Long-term, adequately powered clinical trials should be conducted to determine its place in therapy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 524-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Kloner ◽  
Coleman Gross ◽  
Jinwei Yuan ◽  
Ansgar Conrad ◽  
Pablo E. Pergola

Introduction: Hyperkalemia (potassium >5.0 mEq/L) affects heart failure patients with renal disease regardless of the use of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitors (RAASi). The open-label TOURMALINE study showed that patiromer, a sodium-free, nonabsorbed potassium binder, lowers serum potassium of hyperkalemic patients similarly when given with or without food; unlike prior studies, patients were not required to be taking RAASi. We conducted post hoc analyses to provide the first report of patiromer in patients not taking RAASi. Methods: Hyperkalemic patients received patiromer, 8.4 g/d to start, adjusted to achieve and maintain serum potassium of 3.8 to 5.0 mEq/L. If taking RAASi, stable doses were required. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with serum potassium 3.8 to 5.0 mEq/L at week 3 or 4. This analysis presents data by patients taking or not taking RAASi. Results: Demographics and baseline characteristics were similar in patients taking (n = 67) and not taking RAASi (n = 45). Baseline mean (SD) serum potassium was 5.37 (0.37) mEq/L and 5.42 (0.43) mEq/L in patients taking and not taking RAASi, respectively. Mean (SD) daily patiromer doses were similar (10.7 [3.2] and 11.5 [4.0] g, respectively). The primary end point was achieved in 85% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 74-93) of patients taking RAASi and in 84% (95% CI: 71-94) of patients not taking RAASi. From baseline to week 4, the mean (SE) change in serum potassium was −0.67 (0.08) mEq/L in patients taking RAASi and −0.56 (0.10) mEq/L in patients not taking RAASi (both P < .0001 vs baseline, P = nonsignificant between groups). Adverse events were reported in 26 (39%) patients taking RAASi and 25 (54%) not taking RAASi; the most common adverse event was diarrhea (2% and 11%, respectively; no cases were severe). Five patients (2 taking RAASi) reported 6 serious adverse events; none considered related to patiromer. Conclusions: Patiromer was effective and generally well-tolerated for hyperkalemia treatment, whether or not patients were taking RAAS inhibitors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e14571-e14571
Author(s):  
Ahmed Abdalla ◽  
Aditi Singh ◽  
Hussein Gharib ◽  
Benjamin Huber ◽  
Sindhu Janarthanam Malapati ◽  
...  

e14571 Background: Immune checkpoint blockade (IO) can induce inflammation of the pituitary, thyroid or adrenal glands. This usually results in non-specific symptoms such as headache, low-energy, nausea and vomiting, which can be difficult to differentiate from symptoms associated with cancer and therapy-related symptoms. Therefore, the exact incidence of endocrinopathies is exceedingly difficult to estimate in community practices. Also, the variable methods of assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring used in different clinical trials make it challenging to precisely measure the incidence of endocrinopathies. Methods: This is a single-center retrospective chart review of patients diagnosed with cancer receiving immunotherapy for cancer treatment who had routine hormone levels checked during their treatment. Data collected includes tumor types and the types of IO agents used. Laboratory data collected included thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), testosterone level, follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), cortisol levels. Results: In total, 75 patients were included in the study. The primary indication for IO was lung cancer in 43 patients (57%), genitourinary tumors (12%), melanoma (12%) and head & neck cancers (5.3%). Single-agent nivolumab (39 patients) was the most common IO agent used followed by single-agent pembrolizumab (22 patients), ipilimumab (11 patients), atezolizumab (3 patients), avelumab (1 patient) (There was one patient who got nivolumab initially and then pembrolizumab). Nine patients were treated with ipilimumab/nivolumab combination. The mean number of cycles received was 9.1. The total number of patients who developed at least one abnormal hormone level was 57(76%), with 33 out of 74 (45%) patients had at least one abnormal TSH, 29 out of 44 (66%) patients had at least one abnormal testosterone level, 10 out of 49 (20.4%) patients had at least one abnormal FSH and/or LH level, 36 out of 52 (69%) patients had at least one abnormal cortisol level. The mean number of days from starting IO to develop the first abnormal laboratory result was 106 days. Conclusions: The incidence of endocrinopathy was significantly high in patients receiving IO in this study, which is higher than what is reported in previous clinical trials. This could be due to frequent testing in asymptomatic patients and strict laboratory cut-off values which is not always clinically meaningful. This finding may highlight the importance of routine monitoring of the endocrine function during IO treatment. Routine measurement of hormone levels can detect asymptomatic endocrinopathy which may warrant further work-up and treatment. These findings should be validated in a larger prospective study.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S537-S539
Author(s):  
D T Rubin ◽  
M C Dubinsky ◽  
S Danese ◽  
R Saad-Hossne ◽  
D Ponce de Leon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Tofacitinib is an oral, small-molecule JAK inhibitor for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib were demonstrated in three Phase 3, randomised, placebo-controlled trials in patients with moderate to severe UC.1 Patients who received tofacitinib 10 mg twice daily (BID) for 8 weeks (weeks) in OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 (NCT01465763; NCT01458951) and did not achieve a clinical response (ie induction non-responders [IndNR]) could enter an ongoing, Phase 3, open-label, long-term extension (OLE) study (OCTAVE Open; NCT01470612). We present an update, as of May 2019, of previously published data up to December 2016 from the OLE study for IndNR patients.2 Methods IndNR patients received tofacitinib 10 mg BID in the OLE study. Patients who were still non-responders after an additional 8 weeks of induction were required to discontinue. Clinical response, remission and mucosal healing were evaluated up to Month (M)36 of the OLE study. Adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs) are also presented. Results 429 IndNR patients enrolled in the OLE study, 295 of which received tofacitinib 10 mg BID during induction trials (Table). The proportions of patients with prior tumour necrosis factor inhibitor and baseline corticosteroid use were slightly higher in non-responders than responders at M2; other baseline characteristics were generally similar in responders and non-responders. At M2, 59.7%, 25.7% and 16.2% of patients achieved clinical response, mucosal healing and remission, respectively (as observed). Corresponding non-responder imputation and last observation carried forward values were 52.2%, 23.1% and 14.2% (Table). The table shows data up to M36. The proportions of patients with AEs, SAEs and discontinuations due to AEs for IndNR patients censored at M2 (52.2%, 3.7% and 2.4%, respectively) were similar to those for all patients in OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 (tofacitinib: 55.4%, 3.8% and 3.9%; placebo: 56.4%, 6.0% and 4.3%), with no new safety risks identified (table). Conclusion The majority of patients who did not achieve clinical response to tofacitinib 10 mg BID for 8 weeks in the induction studies – and subsequently received an additional 8 weeks of tofacitinib 10 mg BID in the OLE study—achieved clinical response, with a considerable number of patients in remission and/or mucosal healing at M36. No new safety risks were observed in the additional 8 weeks of induction. These data support extended induction with an additional 8 weeks of tofacitinib for non-responders to 8-week induction. Current product labelling recommends 5 mg BID for maintenance in responders.3,4 References


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