• Last year, sponsor and CRO companies spent $200 million on national, centrally managed patient recruitment advertising. Company spending is growing by more than 30% annually.
• Many industry observers and investigative sites perceive the growth of national recruitment advertising for patient recruitment as problematic and cost-ineffective.

Article 234: Clinical Research Jobs in the New Economy

• An estimated 210,000 clinical research professionals are active in the U.S. at the present time. Despite a down economy overall, clinical research positions continue to be in high demand.
• In order to attract and retain professionals and to compete in this market climate, companies are employing a number of new incentive-based and benefits enhancement practices.

• The U.S. has seen growing demand for national patient recruitment promotional campaigns and a corresponding rise in communications companies that focus on subject enrollment and retention. Patient Quest, one such U.S.-based company, has decided to try its luck abroad as well.

• By the time a woman reaches the age of 70, she has a one in 14 chance of developing breast cancer. In fact, two-thirds of all breast cancers occur after the age of fifty. Increasing age, a family history of benign (excluding cystic disease) or malignant breast tumors, previous breast cancer, early menarche or late menopause, delayed childbearing, exposure to radiation or a high fat diet may all increase breast cancer risk. In addition, mutated genes, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, are thought to be responsible for up to 10% of all breast cancers. These two genes may undergo mutations that can result in early onset breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Eighty-five percent of women who have a mutation in the BRCA1 gene develop breast cancer.