Patient recruitment and participation in the Netherlands – an exploration of factors and views

Abstract

Clinical trials are crucial for evaluating the efficacy and safety of new pharmaceutical treatments, and the Netherlands has the potential to be a world leader in clinical research with its high-quality hospitals, facilities, and healthcare professionals. However, the country lags behind its neighbors in the number of clinical trials conducted, possibly due to longer administrative and more difficult clinical trial processes and requirements, which increase costs for pharmaceutical companies. On the other hand, the prominent role the Medicines Evaluation Board (MEB) is playing within the EU regulatory network represented by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not resulted in significantly more studies conducted in NL compared with other member states. Another important issue is the slow pace of patient recruitment, which can delay drug development, potential treatments and have financial consequences for the accessibility of innovative therapies. Further research is needed to identify the factors that delay patient recruitment and hinder the full development of the Netherlands' potential in clinical research. In the present study we show that many factors are involved in patient participation and recruitment speed. While some factors have a negative influence on the Dutch clinical trial situation, other factors do not seem to be as relevant. We identified several barriers for clinical trials in The Netherlands, such as the comprehensibility of patient consent, and the availability of personnel. To overcome these barriers, all stakeholders in clinical trials (e.g., patients, pharmaceutical industry, regulatory authorities, healthcare, and academics) have to come together and explore options to improve the clinical trial situation in The Netherlands for the benefit of all patients and the Dutch innovative environment.