Looking back on 2022: a year of transformation within clinical trials

As we look back on 2022, we reflect on some of the key moments for Loftware’s expansion into the clinical supplies sector. Following the acquisition of PRISYM ID, we have continued to rise to the ongoing changes within the clinical trial landscape by displaying our expertise and providing resources and support to help those in the industry. 

We started the year by expanding our labeling solution offerings with the acquisition of PRISYM ID, enhancing Loftware’s end-to-end cloud labeling platform by adding regulated clinical trial content and label management capabilities. This has enabled us to offer customers new levels of innovation to help support compliance through accurate, validation-ready labeling solutions while also growing the Loftware platform and offering more services to these strategic markets. This was followed in October by the latest 1.16 Release of Prisym 360 which added two new optional features to increase the efficiency of clinical trial supplies operations while reducing risk and simplifying compliance, a clinical data connector, and a randomization module. 

This year has also seen many transformative changes taking place across the clinical trials landscape and we have provided valuable resources to keep the industry up to speed with the latest rules and requirements.  

While the pandemic may no longer be dominating headlines, many of the changes ushered in during this time have become a permanent part of the landscape. In our May webinar, The Transformation of the Clinical Trial Services Supply Chain, and supporting report, Embracing Agile Production Methodologies in Clinical Trials, we looked at how the industry has shifted its approach to how trials are managed and, as a result, made the industry more patient-centric. Both resources discuss how this has necessitated a shift in how organizations produce and distribute clinical trial packs and best practices for labeling in a just-in-time environment.  

Our translations report, released in July, demonstrated how a clinical labeling solution can help organizations navigate country-specific requirements and effectively manage translation at the faster pace demanded. The accelerated decision-making and parallelization of processes encountered in agile clinical trial models, accompanied by the frequent changes to protocols, mean that increasingly labels and booklets need to be produced on demand. The report goes on to discuss how a cloud-based solution can ensure consistency despite the shift to regional distribution hubs and how end-to-end labeling software can eliminate errors and provide greater traceability. 

Amid all these changes, more organizations have reviewed their approach to labeling by exploring opportunities for automation and aiming to dispense with inherently risky and time-consuming manual processes. In our guide to Embracing Decentralization and supporting webinar, 'Is Decentralization the Future in Clinical Trials?', we explored how the industry is restructuring the supply chain in response to changes in trial methodologies. It discusses what brought about this change, the many different challenges now facing the industry, and sets out how organizations can adopt a modern, integrated approach to labeling to provide a consistent environment across a distributed global supply chain. 

We also had several features published in key media publications discussing emerging developments in the clinical trial supply and the critical role that labeling plays, including How eLabeling can Transform Clinical Trials and Putting Labeling on the Boardroom Agenda. 

The highlight of the year, however, was our record-breaking event, Convergence 2022, with over 2,100 labeling, packaging artwork, and supply chain professionals joining. The conference featured various sessions demonstrating the latest thought leadership and emerging technologies and focused on forward-thinking and innovative labeling solutions. The success of Convergence highlighted the increasing appetite industry professionals have for exploring new ways to transform their business and supply chain through labeling best practices. 

Looking ahead to 2023, companies are taking more steps than ever before to centralize, simplify, and standardize their labeling processes, streamlining and automating as many aspects of their operations as possible as they seek to reduce the amount of time it takes to get clinical trial packs into patients’ hands. There are great opportunities ahead for the clinical trial industry and Loftware will continue to play a key part in this. 

On behalf of the Loftware team, we’d like to say a huge thank you for all your support over the last twelve months. We look forward to enjoying a bright and very successful 2023 together!