Pharmaceutical research and development efforts have accelerated significantly amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies across the globe trialing vaccines and sophisticated treatments in record time to quell infection rates and protect populations. Over the last two years, this high-profile development combined with expansive health and safety measures has made the clinical process highly salient to consumers, and it’s critical that industry leaders make a concerted effort to respond consistently to this newfound public engagement.
The goal of our third Clinical Trials & the COVID-19 Landscape Pulse Report was to uncover how the ongoing global health crisis is impacting consumer perceptions of — and expectations for — clinical developments around COVID-19 and other key therapy areas. Nearly a year after the first COVID-19 vaccine was approved for emergency use in both the US and the UK, these findings reveal that individuals in both regions are keeping a close eye on therapy and intervention innovations and expecting the pharmaceutical industry to continue expanding its response to the pandemic — from strengthening existing protections to tackling vaccine inequity. For instance, nearly a third (32%) of Americans think pharmaceutical companies should conduct more clinical trials to measure how well the current COVID-19 vaccines protect against the latest variants, and over half (55%) of Brits expect pharmaceutical/biotech companies to keep working on developing better COVID-19 treatments and preventive care. With Omicron now the latest variant of concern, the onus is on big pharma to not only maintain the current pace of innovation to combat new infections, but also continue investing in public education resources to facilitate a more transparent clinical process.