This year’s conference of the European Federation for Exploratory Medicines Development (EUFEMED), held May 15 – 17 in Lyon, France, turned a spotlight on “The Changing Landscape of Early Medicines Development.” This included a presentation by Hugues Chanteux on some exciting new work he’s done with his team at UCB Pharma, an innovative pharma company that has done much to move forward the science of blood microsampling.

Some of the biggest challenges in running a clinical trial involve finding and engaging the right participants. Patient recruitment for clinical trials can be complicated. It sometimes leads to research delays or abandonment because of insufficient participation.

The drug development process can be simpler. Recruitment, retention, and adherence / compliance can be improved. Significant points of friction can be removed. Powerful changes can be as simple as the way blood samples are taken.

Have you ever been asked to participate in a clinical trial for a new drug or medical device? Have you turned down such an offer because it seemed like too much trouble? Extra doctor’s appointments, lost hours at work, trips to the lab for bloodwork or urinalysis, keeping a diary… perhaps it doesn't seem to be worth the effort.

There are various stages involved in drug development. New drugs must undergo rigorous trials and evaluations before they get to the end user, the consumer. Here is a breakdown of the stages of drug development:

Over the past few decades, a need for better and more efficient healthcare delivery has been on the rise. As a result, there has been an influx of devices and applications developed all in the hopes of delivering smarter healthcare.