In today’s clinical research landscape, data integrity and subject safety are paramount — yet both remain at risk from a persistent and often invisible problem: duplicate and professional research participants.
Across thousands of studies and millions of verifications, Verified Clinical Trials (VCT) has amassed the largest global dataset on subject duplication and protocol violations in the industry.
The findings are clear — and alarming.
The Hidden Epidemic in Clinical Research
Duplicate research subject participation and professional patients are not rare or random.
VCT’s data reveals that in nearly every therapeutic area — from CNS, obesity/diabetes (GLP-1), and psychiatry to vaccines, dermatology, and ophthalmology — a measurable percentage of research subjects attempt to enroll in more than one trial at the same time, or within prohibited washout periods.
These “professional patients” may be motivated by compensation, access to medications, or other factors, but the consequences are significant:
- Skewed efficacy and safety data
- Elevated placebo response rates
- Artificially inflated adverse event profiles
- Regulatory and compliance exposure
- Study delays and increased costs
A handful of ineligible or duplicated participants can easily tip the balance — turning a promising investigational product into a “failed” trial. In an era when the N needed for success can be small, a few bad data points can determine whether a trial meets its endpoints or misses them entirely.
How VCT Protects Research Integrity
Verified Clinical Trials is the only cross-sponsor, cross-therapeutic verification platform that provides real-time visibility into a participant’s prior clinical trial history — across sites, sponsors, and contract research organizations (CROs).
At the time of screening or enrollment, VCT verifies whether a participant:
- Is currently enrolled in another trial
- Has recently completed a conflicting study
- Violates key washout or protocol parameters
- Has attempted duplicate enrollment across sites or sponsors
This verification occurs seamlessly within existing site workflows, ensuring eligibility compliance before randomization.
The result: cleaner data, reduced risk, and a stronger likelihood of study success.
The CRO and Sponsor Advantage
CROs and sponsors using VCT report measurable benefits:
- Lower screen failure rates
- Fewer protocol deviations and reconsent issues
- Reduced placebo effect (as participants are not “recycled” across multiple trials)
- Shorter timelines to database lock and submission
- Higher probability of meeting primary endpoints
By removing the burden of duplicate detection from sites and monitoring teams, VCT empowers CROs to focus on what they do best — executing high-quality trials.
Global Reach, Trusted by the Industry
VCT’s registry now spans nearly 40 countries, integrating with virtually every major CRO and many of the world’s leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies.
The platform is ISO 27001 certified, ensuring the highest standards of data security and privacy across all deployments.
From early-phase first-in-human studies to global Phase III trials, VCT provides a unified safety and integrity layer that scales with your portfolio.
Data That Changes the Outcome
The data speaks for itself.
Across thousands of studies, VCT has shown that duplicate subjects and protocol violations are both common and preventable.
When sponsors and CROs integrate VCT, the impact is immediate and measurable — higher quality data, improved safety profiles, and a substantially increased chance of clinical and regulatory success.
In short, VCT helps prevent trial failure before it starts.
About Verified Clinical Trials
Verified Clinical Trials (VCT) is a high-growth technology company that provides real-time subject verification across 17 study parameters, leveraging a global cross-sponsor database to improve clinical trial integrity, safety, and success.
VCT’s solutions protect research across all therapeutic areas, helping sponsors, CROs, and sites achieve cleaner data, regulatory compliance, and better outcomes for patients worldwide.
Learn more at www.verifiedclinicaltrials.com.