The very first step of conducting a clinical trial is to find the right clinical site and Principal Investigator (PI). Sponsors or CROs usually have specific criteria for selecting a site based on the study design and protocol. There are several ways that sponsors find potential clinical sites before conducting a pre-site selection visit. One of the common tools that a sponsor uses is the internal database. Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs), sales representatives, and Clinical Research Associates (CRAs) can help with identifying potential clinical sites and have an important role in updating the sponsor’s internal database.
Medical Science Liaisons
MSLs have several responsibilities and they work directly with physicians (PI). MSLs are the ones who get the opinion of the physicians on the company’s products and take those ideas back to the clinical development team to further improve their invention. During the site visits, MSLs communicate with physicians to find their interest in the ongoing or upcoming clinical trials. If a physician (PI) is interested in a study, the MSL will forward that to the clinical trial team.
Sales Representatives
Although sales representatives are mostly dealing with products that are already on the market but, they can also have an indirect role in clinical trials. Since the reps frequently visit physicians (PIs), they can forward any interest of the PI to the MSLs and the clinical trial team. In addition, the Clinical Research Coordinators (CRCs) should keep communicating with sales reps in order to bring new studies and opportunities to the site.
Clinical Research Associates
CRAs who have previously worked with a site in a clinical study are a great resource to reach out to when it comes to new studies. Since CRAs were directly working with the clinical sites they are aware of the study team structure, site facilities, and the capability of the site to enroll patients. That’s why the coordinator and study staff should build a good relationship with the CRAs and be on-time in answering the questions and EDC queries to increase the chance of the site to be selected for the next studies.
Selecting optimal study sites for clinical trials is an important aspect of conducting a successful study. Surveys showed that sponsors tend to reuse the same clinical sites for their studies. Therefore, it is critical for clinical sites to keep a good relationship with MSLs, sales reps, and CRAs.