Conducting clinical trials during the COVID-19 pandemic

We are all remember the early days of COVID-19 – the rapid changes to our daily lives and routines; school and work closures; new restrictions and rules. The future of many aspects of our lives and work became uncertain. In our work at FHI 360 on contraceptive research and development, this included uncertainty about the future of new and ongoing clinical trials.

At the time we were asking ourselves: Should all clinical trials proceed? What are the ethical implications of continuing clinical trials? What are the implications of halting them? Should contraceptive clinical trials be a priority compared to other trials? These were some of the questions we grappled with when COVID-19 first hit, and our teams were scrambling to brainstorm contingency plans without a lot of initial guidance. It was a challenging time.