According to the study, published by The Life Science Strategy Group (LSSG), 98% of investigators state increasingly that the central laboratory chosen by pharmaceutical sponsors impacts their willingness to work with that sponsor in the future.
“Our longitudinal study clearly demonstrates investigator satisfaction with trial sponsors is high and that investigators are very satisfied when working with their preferred central laboratory,” Jon Meyer, MSc, MBA and CRO Industry Practice Leader, told Outsourcing-Pharma.com.
“But interestingly, nearly as many investigators are dissatisfied or only somewhat satisfied when working with their least preferred laboratory,” Meyer added.
“Our report uncovers which central laboratories are most and least preferred and shows how satisfaction has changed over time.”
Specifically, Meyer explained the data showed sponsors have been slow to address top areas of clinical trial investigator disconnect and that dissatisfaction has grown over the past five years.
“Our report details areas where sponsors can satisfy unmet needs and further improve these critical relationships,” said Meyer. “As we all know, competition for top investigators’ attention is only increasing.”
Some of the main challenges faced by investigators during clinical trials include patient recruitment, payment processes, meeting timelines, and sponsor inflexibility.
According to the report, opportunities to improve interactions with investigators include providing "proactive, appropriate communication that is consistent and regular."
Investigators also stressed the importance of listening and incorporating feedback to improve the trial.
As for the “most preferred” central laboratory – more than half of the survey respondents cited Covance. Q2 Solutions (Quintiles/Quest) and ICON Central Laboratory also scored favorably across several performance criteria.