patient recruitment
Maximize psoriasis study success with our data-driven patient recruitment
Approximately 60% of people living with psoriasis report that the disease severely impacts their daily lives due to negative social attributes and stereotyping, yet many patients are not aware about the possibility to participate in clinical trials. According to recent estimates of the World Psoriasis Day Consortium, approximately 125 million people around the world have psoriasis, which is estimated to be to 2-3 percent of the total population.
At Clariness, we have conducted several largescale international surveys and studies for psoriasis, including a recent survey in 19 countries which results were published in the journal Dermatology and Therapy.
challenges
Overcoming challenges for psoriasis
One challenge in patient recruitment and screening for clinical trials for psoriasis is finding sufficient numbers of eligible patients. This is particularly challenging for more rarer forms of psoriasis such as Pustular psoriasis, Erythrodermic psoriasis and Inverse Psoriasis.
Furthermore, newer trial protocols often require more patients to have specific disease characteristics, such as severity or presence of comorbidities, which patients often are not aware themselves.
Digital methods are especially suited for psoriasis patient recruitment as a July 2022 study published in Dermatology Practical & Conceptual showed. Indeed, above all digital methods allow to reach a large number of potential participants who have shown interest in psoriasis related content and more so, were able to reach a more diverse and representative patient population.
A key challenge that the study identified was that many individuals who expressed interest in participation did not meet the inclusion criteria or were unable to commit to the study requirements after their first on-site visit.
For this reason it is crucial to on the one hand include patient friendly materials in any outreach campaign and on the other hand do a throughout pre-screener including a phone screener to also inform patients about the study procedures and potential benefits.
patient advocacy
The importance of diversity in psoriasis patient recruitment
As patient advocates from minority groups have argued, it is for this reason to both include specific outreach materials for minority population as well as possibly conduct studies specifically aimed towards these groups.
“I have scalp psoriasis, but many of the treatments for it are shampoos that you have to use every day. As an African American woman, I don’t wash my hair that frequently and over-washing my hair can cause dryness and breakage.”
As noted by Matthew Gavidia in The American Journal of Managed Care, it is crucial that clinical trial organizers focus more in including people from diverse backgrounds, especially in trials on new treatments for psoriasis such as biologic therapies.
“Black patients with psoriasis have been shown to be 69% less likely to receive biologic therapies. Current therapies for psoriasis are considered to be safe and effective for use in diverse ethnic groups, but a majority of the clinical trials that investigated these medications included mostly white cohorts.”