Infographic – Simulated Clinical Trials Gain Traction

Click on image for full-size view (CB Insights)

19 Feb. 2022. A continuing topic covered in Science & Enterprise is innovations in clinical trials that test new drugs or medical devices with human subjects. The time and expense of clinical trials make up a sizable part of the overall costs of developing new treatments, which seem to be constantly growing.

The technology market intelligence company CB Insights highlighted the growing use of simulated clinical trials in its recent Tech Trends for 2022 report (registration required). The report notes that in 2021, 15 simulated or in silico trials, as they’re called, were underway, a rapid jump in this technique from the two trials reported 2018. CB Insights used data from ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. government’s clinical trials database, for the chart.

In silico trials, says CB Insights, are used today to supplement rather than replace, conventional clinical studies. Companies are using modeling and simulation to get a preview of likely outcomes of conventional trials, to help decide if a trial should proceed. Computational techniques are also used to add more diverse populations to studies that may be difficult to recruit, simulate placebo groups in studies where life-saving medications would otherwise be denied to trial participants, or test alternative treatment conditions.

CB Insights says the technology is still in its early stages, but the growing numbers and increasing market presence suggest more adoption in the near future. In silico trials will likely be a tool used as well with real-world evidence and algorithms to supplement conventional trial evidence, with the Food and Drug Administration becoming an active user of these data.

More from Science & Enterprise:

• Group Devising Lower Cost Clinical Trials
• AI Harnessed for Patient Monitoring Analytics
• FDA Issues Guidance to Boost Clinical Trial Diversity

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