The COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for innovation: a regulatory framework to assess fit-for-purpose innovative approaches in clinical research

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on individuals and multiple aspects of our society including healthcare and clinical research. The silver lining is that the pandemic also served as a catalyst for wider adoption of innovative approaches in clinical research, notably the use of mobile or remote services, and digital technologies. Regulators, clinical study investigators, clinical study participants, sponsors, and other stakeholders collaborated to adopt measures that ensured safe participation in clinical studies whilst maintaining study integrity. In this article, we propose a regulatory framework for assessing fit-for-purpose innovative approaches in clinical research based on Roche/Genentech’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to inform and encourage broader implementation of patient-centric and sustainable innovation in clinical research. Our goal is to contribute to ongoing discussions on introducing innovative approaches in clinical trials and eventually the development of globally harmonised guidelines.