Insights from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Each year, ASPCT’s annual conference brings together leaders in the industry to drive emerging science and enhance patient care. This year, Litmus co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sam Volchenboum joined the fray to present on the importance of wearables in clinical trials.

Many have already caught on to the key roles wearables serve. After all, the ability to measure real world data in real world time is an incredible opportunity for researchers. Before the advent of wearables, those leading clinical trials were stuck firmly in the past of monthly, memory-based surveys. As scientists turn once more to refining clinical trial practices, wearables appear to be the best solution to better drug and patient solutions.

In Dr. Volchenboum’s talk, he took this emphasis on wearables a step further and honed in on the practice of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) for clinical trials. While far from standard, BYOD allows participants in a trial to use their own phone, tablet, or wearable.

On average, this increases participant compliance, minimizes their need to travel to the clinic, and reduces costs across the board.

While there are concerns about this methodology — opaque algorithms, data provenance, bias from users needing their own device — the fact remains that wearables have the potential to be one of the most disruptive innovations in drug development. BYOD opens more doors to their use in clinical trials and brings the research community a step closer to moving patient care from the clinic to the home.

Like any revolutionary methodology, Dr. Volchenboum emphasized that it will take time and collaboration to iron out the worries around wearables. At Litmus, we are committed to joining these efforts and turning the whole world into a clinical trial for the sake of patient care.