#14: DCT Pioneer Laura Podolsky explains Decentralized Clinical Trials and what platforms, vendors, and investors need to know

Decoding Healthcare Innovation

If you’re a DCT platform founder, investor, or agency wanting to support this growing market, you won’t want to miss this conversation with the person who knows more about setting up and managing DCTs than virtually anyone on the planet. Today’s guest is Laura Podolsky, Esq., founding General Counsel of Science37, a startup with a valuation of $1.05B when it went public in Spring 2021. Laura currently serves some of Nixon Gwilt Law’s top Life Sciences and Healthcare Innovation clients.

***Bonus: Download Laura’s Top 5 Friction Points for DCT Providers in the Recommended Resources section below

What you’ll get out of this episode

• Why Decentralized Clinical Trials (DCT) got a boost from the pandemic—and whether this boost is likely to continue
• What benefits and drawbacks exist with DCT when compared to traditional clinical trials
• How companies which support DCTs can gain access to these trials via the platforms (think: mobile nursing agencies, patient recruitment companies, and mobile labs)
• What special privacy considerations are needed in DCT and how companies can adjust their processes to meet those needs
• What investors and sponsors look for in a DCT platform during due diligence (including a handy resource)

Quotables

“Decentralized Clinical Trials increase participation and decrease attrition—those alone are big selling points.” DCT pioneer Laura Podolsky on Ep14 of @DecodingHealth1 w/ @NixonGwiltLaw https://sliceofhealthcare.com/category/decoding-healthcare-innovation/

“Not only can [DCTs] end up being more convenient, easier, less burdensome for patients, all of that leads to a faster trial...which yields serious financial benefits to the sponsor.” Laura Podolsky on Ep14 of @DecodingHealth1 w/ @NixonGwiltLaw https://sliceofhealthcare.com/category/decoding-healthcare-innovation/

“For vendors, it’s important to learn about DCTs and be able to say to the operators: this is how we can make this part of the process easier.” Laura Podolsky on Ep14 of @DecodingHealth1 w/ @NixonGwiltLaw https://sliceofhealthcare.com/category/decoding-healthcare-innovation/

“One of the great promises of DCTs is the ability to recruit from anywhere, and that also means you have to comply with the privacy laws of all these different jurisdictions.” Laura Podolsky on Ep14 of @DecodingHealth1 w/ @NixonGwiltLaw https://sliceofhealthcare.com/category/decoding-healthcare-innovation/

“When I’m advising on data privacy in the context of DCT, it’s helpful to look at the 7 principles of GDPR because most privacy laws are trending toward those.” Laura Podolsky on Ep14 of @DecodingHealth1 w/ @NixonGwiltLaw https://sliceofhealthcare.com/category/decoding-healthcare-innovation/

Recommended Resources

• Download the Top 5 Friction Points for DCT Providers here (Laura’s expert advice on what processes and frameworks you need to examine in your business)
• Connect with Laura Podolsky on Linkedin
• More tips on how your privacy policies impact key partnerships with vendors and investors in this webinar replay from our Privacy team

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