At the recent Outsourcing in Clinical Trials conference in Boston, Andarix Pharmaceuticals CEO Chris Adams revealed how social media has transformed rare disease patient recruitment for clinical trials, delivering unprecedented engagement rates.
The biotechnology company, which focuses on targeted oncology therapies, has leveraged the PRISM software platform to precisely target individuals with rare diseases through social media channels. This innovative approach has yielded a remarkable 40% response rate, dramatically surpassing the typical 3-4% response rates seen with traditional survey methods.
"These people [rare disease patients] are very motivated," Adams explained, highlighting how this heightened engagement enables effective social media outreach. The strategy has proven particularly valuable in addressing one of the fundamental challenges in rare disease research: the geographical dispersion of potential trial participants.
Strategic Integration of Digital and Traditional Resources
The success of Andarix's recruitment strategy stems from a multi-faceted approach that combines social media outreach with established patient advocacy relationships and registry utilization. However, Adams emphasized the importance of managing potential risks, particularly the spread of misinformation when trial information circulates on social media platforms.
Leveraging Patient Registries for Enhanced Recruitment
Adams highlighted several key registry resources that have become instrumental in patient recruitment:
- NORD's IAMRARE program
- Stanford's Coordination of Rare Diseases (CoRDS)
- NIH's Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network (RDCRN)
- Sanofi's Rare Disease Registries, covering conditions like Gaucher, Fabry, and Pompe diseases
These registries offer detailed patient information, including healthcare provider interactions, geographic locations, and diagnostic testing histories. "These registries have gotten so good that you can now look at how many times the patient went to the doctor, what doctor they go to, were they in a certain geographic area, and what kind of tests they took," Adams noted.
Data-Driven Patient Engagement
The combination of social media targeting and registry data has created a more efficient and effective recruitment pipeline. This integrated approach allows research teams to:
- Identify and reach potential participants more precisely
- Reduce recruitment timeline delays
- Improve geographic diversity in trial participation
- Maintain ongoing engagement with patient communities
While social media has emerged as a powerful tool for rare disease trial recruitment, Adams stressed the importance of using it as part of a comprehensive strategy that includes traditional patient advocacy and registry resources. This balanced approach helps ensure both broad reach and data accuracy in the recruitment process.
