Clinical supplies & logistics


Backwards about moving forwards


Clinical trials have long been famous for their sophistication and lengthy timespans. But


traditionally, organisers have paid less attention to what happens once the research is done and medications have to be disposed of. Yet, with so-called reverse logistics offering a range of financial and other efficiencies, this is changing fast. Andrea Valentino talks to Kimberly Finn at Marken and Edward Groleau at PCI Pharma Services to learn more.


he work put into modern clinical trials is extraordinary. Consider the numbers: taking seven years to complete, the average phase one trial costs anything up to $6m and can require the labour of 3,000 people – and that is just the beginning. With the growth of remote operations, especially in the wake of the pandemic, contemporary trials can be organisationally complex at each step of the process, from getting medications to patients to sending data back to researchers. It is no wonder the market for clinical trial logistics is currently hovering


T 14


around the $19bn mark – and is expected to reach $28bn by 2026. Yet if clinical trials have scaled unimagined heights, prodded along by the rush for Covid-19 vaccines, there is one area where the sector is arguably stuck at basecamp: reverse logistics. The practice of collecting unused and reusable materials, then either reconciling or discarding them, is theoretically a part of every trial. But explore the specifics and it quickly becomes obvious that practical reverse logistics enjoy far less attention. From cultural and regulatory challenges to


Clinical Trials Insight / www.worldpharmaceuticals.net


TarikVision/Shutterstock.com


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