Steven Jacobs

A staggering 72% of clinical trials fail to meet enrolment goals, often due to inconvenient trial logistics for patients. Direct-to-patient (DTP) clinical trial supply offers a promising solution, bringing medications and trial materials directly to patients' but challenges remain.

This interactive workshop explores how AI can be harnessed to overcome these hurdles and empower a smoother, more patient-centred DTP experience.

Core Focus Areas:

• Defining the Landscape: We'll establish a clear understanding of AI and its role in DTP supply chains, ensuring everyone is on the same page.
• Conquering Challenges: Explore how AI can tackle common roadblocks, including improving supply chain visibility, navigating regulatory complexities, and determining the best model – fully DTP or a hybrid approach.
• Temperature Control with Precision: Discover AI-powered solutions for maintaining optimal temperature control throughout the DTP journey, safeguarding the integrity of sensitive medications.
• Empowering Health Equity: Learn how AI can be leveraged to remove barriers and ensure diverse patient populations have equitable access to DTP clinical trials.

EVALUATING NEW OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES IN SHAPING THE CLINICAL TRIAL SUPPLY CHAIN OUR PATIENTS NEED

 In his opening address to this year’s forum, chairperson Steve Jacobs surveys the contemporary challenges confronting clinical trial supply and investigates how the industry is evolving in light of these. Which challenges constitute a fundamental shift in how we must operate our supply chains and what are the steps we need to be taking now to build a platform for long term-success?

 Core focus areas to include:

•  State-Of-The-Industry Report: Where do we find ourselves after several years of disruption? How do we discern the transient impacts from those of a more permanent nature?
• Improving Collaboration & Transparency: Disruptions have increased the need for strong sponsor-vendor relationships. How must collaboration and transparency across the supply chain continue to evolve to meet rising demand?
• Meeting Rising Demands & Expectations: How are we to live up to the new standards and expectations expected of us in light of product innovation and patient requirements?
• How Do We Create A Sustainable, Engaged & Motivated Workforce? In what ways are we confronting the recruitment and retention challenges that continue to persist?

NEW PERSPECTIVES ON LEVERAGING OPERATIONAL & TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION TO BOLSTER SUPPLY CHAIN EFFICIENCY, MITIGATE DISRUPTION & ENSURE SUCCESS

The sheer number of disruptive events confronting the supply chain is dizzying. Mitigating the impact of these whilst also planning in an environment laced with future uncertainty remains a huge challenge.

In this extended keynote opening panel, we ask clinical trial supply chain leaders to deliver their perspective on how the operational landscape has evolved over the past 12 months and its associated impact on best practices.

 Core focus areas to include:

•  Preparing For The Unexpected: In what ways can we improve our capacity to anticipate and mitigate disruptive events? How are technological innovations supporting this?
• Doing A Practical & Tactical Risk Assessment: This has now become essential. So we investigate what the industry best practices are for accomplishing thi
• Improving Decision-Making: Breaking down silos whilst also ensuring the data on which we make our decisions is as complete and accurate as possible is critical. How can you move to a pro-active decision-making framework that allows you to make the right decision at the right time?
• Building Operational Agility: With so many short-term shocks impacting the supply chain, what does a long-term strategy for building operational agility look like in practice?

INVESTIGATING THE POTENTIAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO TRANSFORM THE CLINICAL TRIAL SUPPLY CHAIN

 Shorter timelines. Less drug waste. Automation end-to-end. The potential benefits of artificial intelligence seem endless. But should we all be polishing up our resumés, ready to be replaced – or gearing ourselves up to leverage the potential of this technology to the max. In this next session, we cut through the myths to get to the core of how AI will likely transform the industry.

 Core focus areas to include:

•  What Do We Mean By AI? Generative AI. Machine-learning. Intelligent Automation. What do we mean by AI in clinical trial supply and what does it look like in practice?
• Assessment of Potential Benefits: We investigate where AI promises the greatest potential benefits. How close are we to achieving these benefits and what will it mean for the future potential of our supply chains?
• Digital Maturity: The adoption of new technology takes time and change management. How can we ensure that we have the skills and systems in place to successfully onboard AI technologies?
• What Role For Us? The key question: does an AI future mean we all need to be looking for new jobs? OR will we be liberated to focus on ‘higher value activity’ – and what does higher value activity look like?

For this session we come together as a conference body to confront those topics that are keeping us all awake at night. We’ll break into small groups, with each group tasked with sourcing the key pitfalls and challenges associated with each topic. Each group will then begin discussing novel ways such pitfalls can be avoided. The groups will be based on the following themes:

• Temperature Control Logistics
• Packaging I Distribution
• Clinical Concerns

We’ll then come together as a conference body to see what was discussed. Steve Jacobs will then lead a conference wide discussion, with participants offering up their ownexperiences and solutions in relation to each topic.