The Cost of Poor Quality in Clinical Trials & How to Avoid It

Protocol changes and preventable risks can delay trials and drive major costs. Learn why proactive quality planning and RBQM lead to more predictable outcomes.

The Cost of Poor Quality in Clinical Trials & How to Avoid It

Protocol changes and preventable risks can delay trials and drive major costs. Learn why proactive quality planning and RBQM lead to more predictable outcomes.

The Cost of Poor Quality in Pharma: Why Preventing Risk Matters More Than Fixing It

When quality breaks down in a clinical trial, the cost isn’t limited to rework. It can slow enrollment, delay regulatory submissions, strain site relationships, and ultimately postpone getting treatments to the patients who need them. 

This is why quality is not simply a compliance exercise — it is a strategic performance driver. The organizations that “design quality in” early are the ones that avoid costly disruptions later. 

The True Cost of Poor Quality

Recent industry analyses, including updated Tufts CSDD research, show a consistent pattern: 

 

  • Every preventable deviation, query cycle, or monitoring escalation adds operational drag. 
  • Protocol amendments, particularly those introduced mid-study, remain one of the highest avoidable costs in drug development. 

While costs vary by therapeutic area and study complexity, current benchmark data indicates: 

Phase

Typical Cost Impact of a Protocol Amendment

Why It Matters

Phase II

USD $200,000 – $300,000+

Adds delays, increases site and vendor workload

Phase III

USD $400,000 – $900,000+

Multiplies downstream impact on submissions and launch readiness

The financial cost is only part of the loss. Each amendment also risks confidence, continuity, and data coherence — especially when changes occur late. 

Designing Quality In, Not Inspecting It In

Organizations with Quality by Design (QbD) and Risk-Based Quality Management (RBQM) practices perform differently:

 

  • They identify “what matters most” earlier.
  • They monitor consistently where risks concentrate, not everywhere.
  • They correct course before issues cascade.

This aligns directly with the expectations in ICH E6(R3) and ICH E8(R1):
Quality should be proactive, risk-informed, and documented in a way that is traceable.

This aligns directly with the expectations in ICH E6(R3) and ICH E8(R1): 
Quality should be proactiverisk-informed, and documented in a way that is traceable. 

How MyRBQM® Portal Supports This

Our MyRBQM® Portal helps teams: 

 

  • Identify Critical-to-Quality factors early during study planning 
  • Detect data anomalies and operational risks before they escalate 
  • Document oversight decisions in a transparent, inspection-aligned manner 

 

The result is not just cost savings — it’s greater predictability. 

Poor quality is expensive — but preventable. The earlier organizations identify what truly matters and align oversight to those priorities, the fewer costly disruptions they experience. 

Quality is not an audit outcome. 
It is a design choice. 

See how MyRBQM® Portal supports proactive oversight

Apply QbD and RBQM principles with configurable risk assessments, CtQ alignment, automated audit trails, and centralized monitoring insights.

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Cost of Poor Quality in Clinical Trials

Cost of Poor Quality in Clinical Trials