Reimagining Clinical Trial Access Through Specialty Pharmacy

Clinical trials may offer promising treatment options, yet they often remain invisible to the patients who may benefit from the emerging therapies.

At NASP inSPire 2026, patient and manufacturer voices brought these access gaps into focus. New strategies such as AI-driven patient data and strategic partnerships will evolve and open program participation for patients.

Specialty pharmacists can help bring those pieces together. The pharmacist’s ongoing relationship with their patients, therapies, and outcomes, creates an opportunity to support the patient’s journey from trial identification through participation and the return to real-world care.

This blog explores:

• Why eligible patients are still being missed
• How connected data can improve patient matching
• Where specialty pharmacy can empower the patient’s journey in clinical trial programs

When the expert becomes the patient

At NASP inSPire 2026, patient advocate and pharmacist Tina Valbh, BS Pharm, RPh, described a disconnect she experienced firsthand.

“A clinical trial can exist, a patient can qualify, and those two things can still never find each other. We don’t have an innovation problem. We have a connection problem. We cannot keep asking patients to find their way to research. We have to bring research closer to where patients already are, in their communities, in their pharmacies, and within the care they already trust. Because a breakthrough means very little to the patient who never gets the chance to reach it.” – Tina Valbh

Her message is clear. Patients should not be expected to find and navigate clinical research programs alone.

People living with chronic and complex illnesses are already managing symptoms, appointments, treatment decisions, and insurance questions. Bringing research closer to trusted care touchpoints can make potential opportunities easier to find, understand, and act on.

That starts by addressing the gaps that keep eligible patients out of reach.

Where clinical trial access breaks down

With every handoff across the healthcare spectrum of systems, care teams, and workflows, clinical trial enrollment is more likely to fall apart before it even starts.

• Fragmented systems separate clinical, pharmacy, and research information.
• Limited information sharing leaves providers, manufacturers, research sites, and pharmacy teams working from different pieces of the patient story.
• Coordination gaps slow referrals, outreach, eligibility review, consent, and next steps.
• Late or unclear communication makes it harder for patients to understand their options.
• Clinical trial centralization limits patient access.

A patient can be eligible without being identified. Identified without being contacted. Contacted without receiving the support needed to move forward.

Each gap further delays access. Together, they can prevent an opportunity from ever reaching the patient.

Turn better data into better matching

Sponsors need to understand whether the right patient population exists, where those patients receive care, and whether a study can realistically enroll patients.

Real-world data can help research teams evaluate feasibility and identify potential candidates earlier. It can also provide greater insight into eligibility, comorbidities, and enrollment diversity before recruitment challenges emerge.

But identifying a potential match is only the beginning.

That insight must reach the right patient stakeholders, clinical team, and patient. Making that happen requires connected technology, clear ownership, and coordination across organizations.

Specialty pharmacy’s strategic advantage

Specialty pharmacies maintain ongoing, therapy-focused relationships with patients managing complex conditions. Pharmacists see patients with chronic conditions more frequently than physicians, averaging 13 interactions each year compared to 7.

Specialty pharmacies also coordinate with prescribers, manufacturers, care teams, and patient-support programs. That visibility creates opportunities to:

• Surface potential trial conversations
• Reinforce clear, patient-friendly information
• Coordinate communication and next steps
• Identify access or engagement barriers
• Support permitted education, assessments, and adherence touchpoints

Eligibility, consent, and enrollment remain with the authorized research team. Specialty pharmacy can help keep an interested, eligible patient connected as the opportunity moves between stakeholders.

Once a patient enrolls, those established touchpoints may also support education, engagement, and communication with the clinical team, within the trial protocol and defined responsibilities.

Keep care connected after the trial

The need for coordination does not end when the trial concludes.

Patients may need to restart a previous therapy, transition to another treatment, navigate new coverage requirements, or reconnect with clinical support.

Specialty pharmacy can help coordinate that transition, reduce gaps in therapy, and support the patient’s next phase of care.

The trial may end. The patient journey does not.

Connect the journey around the patient

Closing the clinical trial access gap requires more than improving one step. It means:

• Connecting data responsibly to identify potential candidates earlier
• Bringing trial opportunities into the workflows where care decisions happen
• Creating clear handoffs from identification through post-trial care

No organization can do this alone. Data providers, technology partners, manufacturers, research sites, providers, specialty pharmacies, and patient communities each hold part of the reimagined solution.

Bring promising therapies within reach

The need for stronger connections is growing. From 2013 to 2023, the share of U.S. adults reporting at least one chronic condition rose from 72.3% to 76.4%. The share living with multiple chronic conditions increased from 47.3% to 51.4%.

Better-connected clinical trials can help sponsors find the right patients, strengthen enrollment, and move promising therapies forward. For patients, they can create a clearer path to treatment options they may never discover on their own.

Meet with an Inovalon expert to explore how connected data, technology, and specialty pharmacy workflows could support patients throughout the clinical trial and treatment journey.

Frequently asked questions

What role can specialty pharmacy play in clinical trial enrollment?

Specialty pharmacy can help surface trial conversations, reinforce patient education, coordinate communication, and reduce handoff friction among patients, prescribers, research sites, manufacturers, and care partners. Eligibility, consent, and enrollment remain with the authorized research team.

How can real-world data improve patient identification?

Real-world data can help research teams understand the target population, assess feasibility, and identify patterns that may point to potential candidates. Those insights still require appropriate governance, validation, and clinical review before outreach or enrollment.

How can specialty pharmacy support patients during a trial?

Within the protocol and defined responsibilities, specialty pharmacy can support medication education, engagement, assessments, adherence conversations, and coordination with the clinical team. It can also help surface questions or concerns that require escalation.

Why does the transition to real-world care matter?

When trial participation ends, patients may face changes in therapy, coverage, dispensing, and monitoring. Planning the transition early can help preserve continuity and connect the patient to the next appropriate treatment and support services.

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