Clinical Trial Challenges in 2025

Clinical trials in 2025 look dramatically different from just a few years ago, but many of the underlying challenges are still present. While the industry has made huge strides in decentralized trial design, AI-powered protocols, and digital health integration, patient recruitment and retention remain two of the biggest roadblocks to trial success.

At Citruslabs, we’re seeing firsthand how technological advances are reshaping expectations, but also creating new hurdles. Here’s a closer look at the evolving clinical trial landscape and the top challenges researchers face in 2025, and how to overcome them.

Recruitment Challenges in 2025

1. Overwhelmed Patients, Undifferentiated Trials

The rise in consumer health awareness means patients are more informed, but also more selective. With a flood of similar-sounding studies, it’s harder than ever to capture attention and differentiate your trial from others. Generic outreach no longer cuts it.

2. Diversity and Representation Gaps

Despite years of advocacy, many trials still fail to recruit diverse study populations. In 2025, this is less about awareness and more about accessibility, trials must actively reach underserved communities with culturally sensitive messaging and accessible technology.

3. Digital Fatigue

While digital recruitment channels have expanded reach, they’ve also led to lower engagement. Patients are flooded with ads and emails, and trust in digital outreach has decreased. The challenge now is breaking through the noise with education-driven, empathetic messaging.

Retention Challenges in 2025

1. Complex Trial Designs

Modern clinical trials often involve wearables, remote monitoring, and frequent digital check-ins. While these tools enable rich data collection, they can also overwhelm participants and lead to early dropouts if not carefully managed.

2. Impersonal Communication

Automation helps scale engagement, but it can backfire when communication feels robotic. In 2025, retention success depends on maintaining a human touch, even when leveraging automation.

3. Lack of Real-Time Support

Participants today expect real-time responses and streamlined experiences. When they encounter issues, technical or otherwise, delays in support can cause frustration and lead to withdrawal from the study.

Regulatory Pressures and Ethical Oversight

In 2025, non-pharmaceutical clinical trials, especially in supplements, skincare, and wellness, are under increased scrutiny from regulators like the FTC. Brands must ensure that claims are substantiated with validated clinical evidence, not just persuasive marketing language.

This has made accurate trial design and transparent reporting critical. Missteps not only risk legal consequences but can damage long-term brand trust.

The Decentralization Dilemma

Decentralized clinical trials (DCTs) are now mainstream. However, with this shift come operational challenges:

• Data fragmentation across multiple digital tools

• Varying levels of tech literacy among participants

• Inconsistent execution across remote regions

These hurdles mean sponsors must go beyond simply “going digital.” They need platforms that provide seamless workflows for both on-site and remote teams, while keeping the patient experience smooth and accessible.

AI and Automation: Hype vs. Reality

AI continues to gain traction in clinical research, from predicting patient eligibility to automating outreach. But in practice, AI tools that lack personalization can drive patients away instead of drawing them in.

In 2025, success lies in human-guided automation. The best systems assist researchers and improve patient experience, without replacing empathy or intuition.

Ready to Future-Proof Your Clinical Trial?

The average trial still fails to meet its recruitment goals, and only 12% of trials are completed on time. In 2025, that’s no longer acceptable. Citruslabs is partnering with research sites, brands, and CROs to flip those odds with flexible, affordable trial technology that works in the real world.

Want to see how Citruslabs can transform your recruitment and retention strategy? Learn how we create customized clinical research studies tailored to your brand’s needs.