T2 Protect AD: Achieving a rapid recruitment timeline in a multisite clinical trial for individuals with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Introduction:The reporting of approaches facilitating the most efficient and timely recruitment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients into pharmacologic trials is fundamental to much-needed therapeutic progress.Methods: T2 Protect AD (T2), a phase 2 randomized placebo-controlled trial of troriluzole in mild to moderate AD, used multiple recruitment strategies.Results: T2 exceeded its recruitment target, enrolling 350 participants between July 2018 and December 2019 (randomization rate: 0.87 randomizations/site/month, or 3-fold greater than recent trials of mild to moderate AD). The vast majority (98%) of participants were enrolled during a 10-month window of intense promotion in news media, TV and radio advertisements, and social media. The distribution of primary recruitment sources included: existing patient lists at participating sites (72.3%), news media (12.3%), physician referral (6.0%), word of mouth (3.1%), and paid advertising (2.9%). Discussion:The rapid recruitment of participants with mild to moderate AD was achieved through a range of approaches with varying success.

Comparison of digital recruitment strategies for Alzheimer's disease patients

“…The higher yield of participants both taking the eligibility survey and being eligible participants in the direct messaging via MyChart is likely related to the use of reaching out to patients based on appropriate coding in the medical records, as well as the fact that those participants have established care provided by the institution performing the research. 8 …”

“… 6 Digital recruitment methods can include direct messaging methods based on patient's medical records at research institutions, or digital advertisement on social media platforms both of which have been shown to be effective at reaching older adults for clinical trials. 4 , 7 , 8 Among these different forms of digital recruitment, it is still unclear which of these forms of digital recruitment is more effective at reaching older adults with cognitive impairment (CI) as well as their ability to reach a diverse participant population. 4 , 7 …”