The prospect of receiving innovative treatment proved to be the number one patient recruitment incentive, according to "Streamlining Clinical Trials," a new study by pharmaceutical business intelligence leader Cutting Edge Information. Following in a close second and third were the related incentives of receiving free medication and the number of physician visits that could be garnered from participation.

With patient recruitment absorbing an average of 23% of a clinical trial's timeline and resources, according to the new study, pharmaceutical companies are searching for the best patient incentives that will separate their clinical trials from the rest. Emphasizing the clinical benefit or lifestyle impact of a new trial hits closer to home for potential patients than monetary compensation or convenience. Both factors ranked in the bottom half of the list.

According to the study, patient recruitment ranked as the top opportunity for clinical trial acceleration. "Patient recruitment has always been a difficult issue for pharmaceutical companies," said David Richardson, lead author of the report. "Most recently, increased stringency in criteria for patient populations mandated by the FDA, poor clinical results and the industry's bad public image have made patient recruitment even more of a problem."

"Streamlining Clinical Trials" covers resource allocation, performance measurement, continuous process improvement, patient and investigator recruitment and adaptive trial designs. Data include clinical development budgets, clinical operations team structures and staffing levels, performance measurement and management, clinical operations hurdles and process improvement tools and tactics.

The report focuses on three aspects:

Patient Recruitment: Patient recruitment continues to dominate clinical timelines and budgets. The report devotes an entire chapter to this challenge, providing the latest trends and tools in recruitment.

Budgeting and Performance Assessments: Clinical project managers must set clear performance expectations and measure and manage trials. The report provides clinical spending benchmarks to assist in trial budgeting and planning.

Clinical Operations Structure and Work Flow: Clinical trial management team members must know their roles and responsibilities, and communication with vendors and investigators must be seamless. The report outlines major obstacles clinical teams face and presents real-company, proven solutions.

Streamlining Clinical Trials