Blog

This blog, “Collaboration Requirements for an eClinical Supply Chain Management Platform”, is the first in a series where we will detail the critical requirements for an eClinical Supply Chain Management platform. For such a platform to properly optimize the clinical trial supply chain it must support requirements that fall into 4 categories: Collaboration, Real-Time Visibility, Traceable Chain of Custody, and Compliance.

Two years ago, a good portion of the U.S. population did not know what a supply chain was. Today, with store shelves empty and inflation rising, it's safe to say we do now. For clinical trials, supply chain issues that involve getting lab kit components, investigational product (IP), medical devices, ancillary clinical supplies, and biological samples to the right place at the right time are preventing clinical trials from staying on budget and completing within the planned timeline.

Unlike most unusual (seemingly made up) days of the year, Clinical Trials Day has a great deal of history behind it — centuries, actually. Annually on May 20th, Clinical Trials Day honors the legacy of James Lind, a Scottish doctor, who conducted one of the first ever clinical trials in 1747.Lind was a pioneer of naval hygiene in the Royal Navy, often arguing the health benefits of better ventilation aboard ships, improved cleanliness of sailors' bodies, clothing and bedding, and below-deck fumigation. During his time serving on the HMS Salisbury, British seamen were contracting scurvy at an alarming rate after just two months at sea, with some even succumbing to the disease.

In this blog, the second in our series on clinical supply chain management optimization, we’ll highlight these mistakes and issues and the operational problems they cause that can negatively impact the probability of a successful clinical trial.

Keeping track of investigational product (IP), lab kits, equipment, and other supplies is a clinical operations problem that often results in missing study drugs, expired lab kits, lost biological samples, and delayed resupply shipments—all signs that there is a need for clinical supply chain management optimization.

OCT New England revealed hidden clinical trial supply and sample management challenges

Slope's improvements to clinical trial supply chain management, operations, and logistics just got a big vote of confidence from investors

You probably don't, and it's probably been an issue in previous trials. Why is this such a problem? What is the potential impact? How do you fix it?

It’s 4:45 PM on a Friday and a CRA gets a call. One of their Research Sites is scrambling. They have a patient coming in on Monday, and just discovered that all of the kits they need for a critical baseline visit are expired.

"Doveryai, no proveryai." This old Russian proverb presents an open challenge to the clinical research industry. It translates to "trust, but verify."

Inventory surrounds us. It’s in your house, at your gas station, in your grocer’s freezer, and on the shelves of your Research Site’s supply closets and pharmacy. Inventory is something that demands attention and careful management.