In clinical trials, time is currency. Every missed day, milestone, or patient recruitment opportunity comes at a price, sometimes in the millions. While most sponsors focus on patient recruitment and data capture, the foundational role of timely equipment procurement is often overlooked. With clinical trial equipment delays, the damage goes far beyond inconvenience. These disruptions ripple across site readiness, trial budgets, regulatory timelines, and even data quality.
To fully understand the risks and how to prevent them, let’s examine the five most critical ways delayed equipment procurement can quietly yet powerfully undermine your study’s success, along with actionable steps and proven strategies to avoid costly disruptions.
1. Missed Site Activation and Recruitment Milestones
Delays in procuring essential equipment, such as ECG machines, centrifuges, and infusion pumps, can prevent trial sites from being activated on schedule. Even if staff members are trained and contracts are signed, First Patient In (FPI) cannot occur without validated equipment in place. These holdups stall recruitment, erode sponsor timelines, and postpone downstream milestones.¹
2. Hidden Financial Fallout
The financial impact of clinical trial equipment delays is substantial. According to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, the direct daily cost of conducting a Phase 2 or 3 clinical trial is approximately $40,000. Moreover, each day of delay in drug development can lead to an estimated $500,000 in unrealized prescription drug sales. With a significant number of clinical trials experiencing delays, the financial stakes are too high to ignore.²
3. Unplanned Logistics and Storage Costs
Late-stage equipment orders often result in reactive logistics, including expedited shipping, urgent vendor sourcing, or reallocating existing stock. These scenarios increase freight and labor costs, strain depot capacity, and heighten the risk of errors in documentation. Conversely, early shipments may arrive before sites are ready, resulting in storage fees, revalidation, or waste.
4. The Domino Effect of Supply Chain and Vendor Delays
Disruptions in the supply chain during clinical trials seldom happen in isolation. The pharmaceutical supply chain is one of the most intricate in the world, involving a wide array of vendors and service providers, from equipment manufacturers to global logistics teams. A single planning oversight—such as inaccurate paperwork or delayed customs clearance—can trigger delays throughout the entire trial timeline. When deadlines are missed or quality standards are not met, sponsors are forced into costly workarounds that delay site activation and strain budgets. Selecting reliable vendors is crucial for maintaining operational compliance and ensuring those vendors stay on track.
Strong communication and relationship management creates visibility, and visibility gives you greater control over potential supply chain issues such as vendor delays, label changes, customs hold-ups, and under-forecasting or overcommitting clinical supply.” – Francesco Santo, Clinical Trial Supply conference, 2025³
5. Data Integrity and Protocol Deviations
When sponsors resort to using substitute or out-of-spec equipment to meet deadlines, the result can be protocol deviations and non-standard data collection. These inconsistencies compromise trial integrity and can also delay regulatory submissions or trigger rework if equipment variations affect study endpoints.⁴
Case Spotlight: eSMART Pediatric Cancer Trial
The eSMART trial, a global study exploring targeted therapies for pediatric cancers, experienced significant delays in the U.K. following Brexit. New regulatory import requirements quadrupled equipment import costs, which increased from €52,000 (~$56,000 USD) pre-Brexit to €205,000 (~$220,000 USD). Cancer Research U.K. had to step in with €92,000 (~$100,000 USD) in emergency funding to keep the trial active.⁵
How Sponsors Can Prevent Clinical Trial Equipment Delays
Strategic forecasting is the most effective way to avoid costly equipment delays. By accounting for long-lead items, customs delays, and supplier variability, sponsors can align deliveries with real-world site activation timelines.
Forecasting Best Practices:
- Start Early: Forecast equipment needs during the protocol development process, and not after site selection.
- Quantify Lead Time Risk: Identify items with long or variable lead times and incorporate buffers or alternative sourcing plans.
- Use Historical Site Activation Data: Analyze past site performance to anticipate real-world activation timelines.
- Conduct Scenario Planning: Model various enrollment and regulatory approval timelines to prepare for high-variability conditions.
- Integrate with Vendors and Depots: Enable real-time inventory and readiness tracking by connecting procurement, logistics, and trial operations platforms.
Typical Lead Times for Critical Equipment:
Wrapping It All Up
In clinical research, delays don’t happen in a vacuum—they ripple across recruitment, operations, finances, and data quality. Equipment procurement is one of the few controllable variables in this high-stakes environment, yet it’s often one of the last to be prioritized. Sponsors that fail to forecast study equipment needs early or vet vendors carefully risk triggering a cascade of setbacks that compromise both trial integrity and commercial timelines. On the other hand, those who treat equipment planning as a strategic pillar, not an afterthought, are better positioned to deliver trials that are faster, cleaner, and more cost-efficient. The difference isn’t luck. It’s logistics done right.
The Right Partner Can Prevent Costly Delays
Choosing the right logistics and supply partner can mean the difference between a smooth study launch and months of cascading delays. Imperial Clinical Research Services offers comprehensive solutions to mitigate the risk of clinical study equipment delays through:
- Expert Consultation: With over 40 years of experience, Imperial provides tailored strategies to address your specific equipment and supply needs.
- Efficient Procurement: Whether sourcing new or calibrated used equipment, Imperial ensures timely and budget-conscious procurement that aligns with protocol requirements.
- Global Compliance and Logistics: Navigating international regulations, Imperial manages shipping logistics to over 100 countries, ensuring compliance with GCP, GMP, and GDP standards.
- Inventory Management: By utilizing our proprietary online portal, Imperial offers real-time tracking of inventory, delivery confirmations, and expiration dates, providing transparency and control.
- Comprehensive Project Management: From planning to execution, Imperial’s dedicated team oversees every aspect of your equipment and supply chain, ensuring seamless integration into your clinical trial.
With Imperial, sponsors can proactively address potential delays to ensure that clinical trials proceed on schedule and within budget. Learn more at https://www.imperialcrs.com/what-we-do/ancillary-trial-supplies-and-equipment.
Join the Conversation
Have you experienced clinical study equipment delays during your clinical trials? What strategies have helped you stay on track? Share your thoughts, questions, or experiences with a comment below. We’d love to hear from you.
References
- Imperial CRS. Clinical Trial Kitting: Avoid Costly Pitfalls. https://www.imperialcrs.com/blog/ancillary-trial-supplies-and-equipment/clinical-trial-kitting-avoid-costly-pitfalls/
- Smith Z, DiMasi J, Getz K. New Estimates on the Cost of a Delay Day in Drug Development. Ther Innov Regul Sci. 2024 Sep;58(5):855–862. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38773058/
- Clinical Trials Arena. Data and relationships can mitigate clinical supply chain risk and cost. https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/analyst-comment/data-relationships-clinical-supply-chain-risk-cost/?cfview
- Data Integrity and Compliance With Drug CGMP. https://www.fda.gov/media/119267/download
- The Guardian. Children with Cancer Cannot Wait. https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/20/children-with-cancer-cannot-wait-the-human-cost-of-clinical-trial-delays-after-brexit