4 Drug Development Trends to Keep an Eye on

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Over the past few years, the drug development landscape has evolved. Where it once emphasized blockbuster drugs that were developed in-house by large pharmaceutical companies, the industry is moving toward a more inclusive paradigm centered on the consumer that includes personalized medicine, orphan drugs for rare diseases, new clinical trial models, and the growing use of contract research organizations (CROs) to manage everything from preclinical studies to clinical trials to bioanalysis and manufacturing. New markets are opening up while cutting-edge treatments are becoming more accessible. Here’s a closer look at some of the trends you might want to keep your eye on. 

Personalized and Custom Drugs

There has been a growing awareness that the one-size-fits-all medicine model has its limitations. New technologies, such as the ability to sequence DNA, have helped the field of personalized medicine continue to grow. These kinds of custom pharmaceuticals are becoming more sought-after and increasingly more easily attainable. Taking a customized approach to drug development has allowed pharmaceutical companies to create medications and dosing more finely adapted to specific patients. This includes their genome, development, and overall prognosis. The resulting benefits are greater efficacy with fewer adverse drug effects. These benefits extend to both clinical trial participants and post-market patients. Choosing participants likely to benefit from DNA sequencing for your clinical trial could lead to faster testing, smaller trials, lower costs, and shorter regulatory review times. This, in turn, means the drug reaches the market faster for the subset of patients who need it.

Treating Rare Diseases with Orphan Drugs

The 1983 Orphan Drug Act gave pharmaceutical companies tax credit incentives for the sake of public health. Typically, one in 12 people is affected by a rare disease, but their needs were largely unserved. There was low market potential for individual treatments for between 6,000 and 8,000 rare diseases. However, recent advances in information technology that help link researchers to hospital patient data and positive public opinion have led to more progress in this arena. As technology advances and needs increase, this trend will continue.

Performing Decentralized Clinical Trials

The modern market necessitates an increase in the growing trend of decentralized clinical trials. This is mainly for long-term, low-risk patient trials with a limited number of clinic visits. These first in human clinical trials make use of recent advances in digital technologies, including wearable devices, to collect data. This has lowered the barrier to participation, negating the inconvenience of participating on-site. This means a wider variety of participant interest and greater retention.

Expanding the Use of Contract Research Organizations

Drug development studies and regulatory processes continue to grow in complexity. It takes specialized knowledge, resources, and expertise to take a drug from lead candidate selection all the way to market. As a result, more than half of clinical trials are now outsourced. Contract research organizations, especially CROs with manufacturing capabilities, are used much more frequently than in the past to help ensure a successful drug development cycle. CROs, especially those with CDMO pharma services, can help guide your organization through conducting trials, performing bioanalysis, submitting reports, and manufacturing your product for the market. Plus, they offer better turnaround times thanks to their flexibility and agility. Overall, CRO demand is rapidly increasing to respond quickly to evolving research trends and regulatory requirements.

About Altasciences

Altasciences is a mid-sized contract research organization and drug development solution your company needs for your next drug development project. This integrated CRO with pharmaceutical CDMO services offers partners over 25 years of research experience for preclinical studies and clinical trials. Altasciences has developed an innovative approach that companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries have come to rely on. Plus, partners gain access to the Altasciences team’s expertise in a wide variety of study types and therapeutic indications. This includes experience in first-in-human clinical trials and CNS clinical trials. Partners are able to utilize Altasciences’ resources, including over 580 beds, access to an experienced, highly trained staff, and a recruiting database of more than 400,000 potential participants. Partner with this trusted CRO/CDMO for all your early clinical development needs.

Partner with Altasciences for your next drug development cycle at https://www.altasciences.com/

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