After a large pharmaceutical company delivered enrollment 60 days ahead of schedule for a Phase 2 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) study with PSI CRO, the sponsor faced a new challenge: one of the largest-ever IBD programs in the same indication. Competition for IBD patients is fierce, and we knew success depended on not only identifying the right sites but also keeping them engaged throughout the duration.
The sponsor engaged PSI to manage 400 sites and enroll 800 patients across 40 countries. With the length and size of the study, many sites went silent after the initial excitement. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced a whole new set of extraordinary challenges, which was especially noticeable during the summer months – already a typically slow period, but also when many countries implemented additional restrictions to slow the spread of new variants that made enrollment even more difficult.
To re-energize the study team and keep enrollment on track, the sponsor introduced a new incentive campaign with PSI modeled after the Summer Olympics to foster a sense of friendly competition.
