Pandemic's mitigation efforts may have contributed to drop in clinical trial completion rates
Social distancing and lockdowns may have reduced the spread of COVID-19, but researchers from Penn State College of Medicine also report those actions may have affected clinical researchers' ability to finish trials. Study completion rates dropped worldwide between 13% and 23%, depending on the type of research sponsor and geographic location, between April and October 2020.
Researchers previously reported that more than 80% of clinical trials suspended between March 1 and April 26, 2020, noted the pandemic as their chief reason for halting activity. Patient enrollment in studies was lower in April 2020, compared to April 2019. Arthur Berg, associate professor of public health sciences, and Nour Hawila, a biostatistics doctoral candidate, investigated how these trends may have affected the completion of clinical trials.