Celebrating Clinical Trials Day in 2023

Since its beginning in 2005, Clinical Trials Day has been recognized on a global scale as a day to commemorate the various advancements, milestones, and notable accomplishments within the clinical trial space. 

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Several notable organizations participate in recognizing the day including The Associate for Clinical Research Professionals ACRP, Society of Clinical Research Awareness SOCRA, European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network Ecrin, along with many others. 

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ClinicalTrialsDay.org shares that the celebration of Clinical Trials Day on May 20ths recognizes “the day that James Lind, a ship’s surgeon in the British Royal Navy, started what is often considered the first randomized clinical trial (in this case, to study the effects of different treatments on scurvy in sailors), on May 20, 1774.” Since the first randomized trial, there have been many other significant leaps and bounds made in the clinical research industry that have led to where we are today. 

Why is this day important? 

The clinical trial industry has undergone dramatic changes since its inception, and even more so in the last 50 to 10 years. With the industry moving soas fast, it has been universally accepted that there is a need to step back and reflect on how far clinical trials have come, and most importantly, where they are going. 

Addressing Disparities

According to a review put forth by the Office of Research on Women’s Health, starting in 1977, the FDA released a recommendation to ban women of childbearing age from early phase trials, the reversal of this recommendation didn't come until 1993 (just 30 years ago). The review shows that “in 1986, NIH (National Institute of Health) established a policy that encouraged researchers to include women in studies,” and “between 1989 and 1993, the inclusion of women in clinical research was NIH policy, but it was not law.” This was until 1993, Congress wrote the NIH inclusion policy into Federal law through a section in the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-43) titled Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research.” 

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This same 1993 guidance encouraged the inclusion of diverse racial and ethnic groups within clinical research as well, yet over the last few decades, the FDA has struggled to address disparities among this group which are still prevalent today. A 2022 FDA news release reviews how inequities are continuing to be addressed moving into the future.

Celebrating Growth

It’s not secret how rapidly the clinical research industry has moved; Clinicaltrials.gov reports having over 400,000 clinical trials posted since the year 2000. In those 24 years, 58% (roughly 256,000) of those studies took place in the last 8 years between 2015 and into 2023.The World Health Organization currently reports over 8,000 COVID-19 clinical studies listed on the World Health Organization's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. With such exponential growth, the industry has learned to adapt to its surroundings and be malleable to the needs of humankind. 

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Recognizing what’s next 

From a contents review of the 2016 textbook Neuroscience Trials of the Future: Proceedings of a Workshop, “the traditional research model requires a substantial investment of upfront money and time to design a study, procure the technologies, identify clinical sites, and recruit patients, even before acquiring any feedback about the viability of the study (Rodarte).” Fast forward to 2023, where trials can be run 100% remotely if/when necessary. 

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The adoption of technology into clinical practice and trials has been a seemingly recent development in the past 3 years when the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the need for  remote healthcare and research in emergency situations. 

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As a company dedicated to democratizing clinical research by using technology and tech-driven services to deliver clinical trials to  patients where it is most convenient for them, Curebase recognizes the importance of Clinical Trials Day and what it represents. Curebase identifies some of its core company values as being mission-driven, prioritizing  quality, and embracing diversity with a commitment to any patient anywhere. Curebase is reimagining clinical trials in a way that directly benefits all participants of a clinical trial and those who run them. 

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To learn more, take a look at how Curebase is modernizing clinical trials for the better. 

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