Clinical trial technology: at the inflection point

Paper-based methods of clinical data collection, analysis and management have long been standard practice, but the development of online software solutions and the ubiquitous presence of the internet create opportunities to improve these processes. Adoption rates of the new technologies have been slow as result of in part resistance to change, but use of electronic solutions is on the upswing. The industry's overriding interest in accelerating clinical development of lead compounds, a newly supportive environment from the Food and Drug Administration, the presence of maturing technology and the emergence of stable vendors are the confluence of factors driving an inflection point.