Clinical trial sites are backing the concept of offering direct-to-patient (DTP) options for delivering clinical supplies in a remote or home-based study, a new survey shows.

In a joint Catalent and FiercePharma survey of 234 site staff involved in clinical supply and operations, approximately 63 percent of respondents said it’s “important” or “very important” to offer DTP options for supplies in trials.

But the model is more popular in the U.S. than in Europe. Approximately 41 percent of respondents in the U.S. said DTP options are “very important” for future studies compared to 26 percent of respondents from the EU.

Nearly 60 percent of EU respondents said they limit their reliance on DTP, possibly because the EU requires individual country approval for DTP distribution, the survey says.

The survey also asked respondents about the perceived benefits of the use of central pharmacies instead of individual site pharmacists or standalone off-site central pharmacies to dispense DTP patient kits. Approximately 34 percent of survey respondents said that using central pharmacies located within the same facilities that package their clinical supplies could lead to better inventory management. In addition, around 21 percent of respondents indicated that using a central pharmacy could help reduce the number of needed sites/pharmacies.

The survey also found that a significant majority of sponsors perceive clinical packaging and distribution companies with in-house DTP capabilities as more desirable partners compared to companies that subcontract the service to third-party providers. On a scale of one to five, 33 percent rated a direct service as a five, or “very important.” Another 32 percent rated a direct service on the scale as a level-four importance.

To read the survey, click here: https://bit.ly/3mZSZht.