We recently attended AdFest 2023 in beautiful Puerto Rico! In between networking events and insightful speakers, Spectrum Science participated in a panel discussion about using partnerships to enhance clinical trial recruitment. Our own Chad Childress, executive vice president of Paid Media and Samantha Rogers, associate director of Patient Recruitment & Retention at Moderna discussed the challenges and strategies involved in patient recruitment for clinical trials, specifically focused on Moderna's innovative approaches in collaboration with Spectrum. Here are the key takeaways from their conversation and insights you can use to inspire your next recruitment campaign:

Patient Recruitment and Its Importance

• Patient recruitment is crucial for clinical trials, as it involves connecting with eligible participants to gather data for experimental drugs [RK1] and often takes more time than other steps
• Low enrollment rates can delay or prevent new therapies from reaching the market, costing millions of dollars and depriving patients of potentially life-changing treatments

Challenges in Patient Recruitment

• The proliferation of clinical trials due to scientific advances has created a shortage of eligible patients
• Traditional media channels are less successful; leveraging digital innovations and tailored advertising approaches have improved patient engagement

Innovative Approaches by Moderna

• Moderna focuses on innovative ways to reach target trial participants in underserved communities
• Conducting pilot campaigns and using creative, tailored messaging are essential for engaging patient populations unaware of the target disease and associated potential risks

Partnerships and Trustworthy Content

• Partnerships are critical, especially in healthcare, as people generally trust credible, objective sources of information more than marketing campaigns.
• Collaborating with credible partners helps create trustworthy content native to their platforms, ensuring fair and balanced communication about diseases, treatments and clinical trials

Diversity and Inclusion

• Moderna prioritizes diversity and inclusion in clinical trial research to address underrepresentation, especially among people of color
• Conducting panels, working with credible partners and using authentic imagery and language resonates with diverse communities and helps improve participation rates

Agility and Adaptability

• Patient recruitment campaigns require agility and adaptability. Making optimizations across the entire media ecosystem can make a huge difference
• Piloting different approaches, analyzing audience journeys and optimizing strategies based on real-time data are crucial for successful campaigns

Educational Outreach

• Educational content, multiple touchpoints and ongoing messaging are necessary to drive action
• Pre-recruitment campaigns with heightened awareness of information and calls to action can pave the way for successful enrollment efforts

Digital Ecosystem and Ongoing Messaging

• Using various platforms such as TikTok and Google Search, coupled with ongoing messaging, creates an intentional and connected patient journey
• Engaging patients in a conversation and guiding them through the process increases the likelihood of successful enrollment

The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped the landscape of clinical trial marketing, placing digital and social media at the forefront of campaigns. People's heightened awareness of health issues during the pandemic opened new avenues for clinical trial marketing. The success of patient recruitment campaigns lies in innovation, partnership building, tailored messaging, diversity and inclusion efforts, and continuous adaptation to the evolving landscape of clinical trial marketing. To learn more about our clinical trial recruitment media strategies, contact us today.