Where is the Prose?
Perhaps what is missing the most at the moment is the prose about ePRO. That is, we are still not talking enough about ePRO, to the right decision-makers, with the most appealing contentions and data, to have ePRO become as widely used and uncontroversial as central lab data, or even EDC. Clearly, not enough clinical development personnel understand the horrors of paper (since we are still doing paper PRO studies), nor do they understand the potential for new scientific explorations possible with valid patient-reported data. For some reason, ePRO remains at best the province of biopharmas marketing guys, or outcomes nerds, and PRO is viewed as a last resort and not real research. This is an antique attitude, and it contributes to the resistance to funding ePRO services. The vendors have probably talked enough; sponsors must start writing and speaking more clearly and openly about their success with ePRO on the one hand, and any lingering concerns on the other hand. The pros of ePRO are
