Sanofi is a global healthcare company dedicated to advancing scientific innovation to improve patient outcomes. With a strong presence in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and consumer healthcare, Sanofi is committed to developing patient-centered solutions across a range of therapeutic areas, including oncology, rare diseases, and immuno-inflammation. Recognizing that patient behavior plays a crucial role in health outcomes, Sanofi is integrating behavioral and implementation science into its clinical research to enhance diversity, retention, and adherence in clinical trials. By leveraging behavioral insights, Sanofi aims to optimize trial efficiency, improve protocol development, and create a scalable framework for more effective and inclusive research.

Sanofi wanted us to create a behavioral science framework and toolkit for R&D Clinical Trials that can be used by their trial teams to better inform trial design.  

The Problem

It is estimated that up to 30% of subjects withdraw from the trial before completion, costing sponsors time and money. Almost 40% of clinical trial subjects become non-adherent within 150 days, which can impact its efficacy and introduce data variability. In addition, Sanofi has a goal of increasing diversity.

The Solution 

We proposed applying a behavioral framework to clinical trials. Interventions should be simple, accessible, noticeable, oriented, feasible, and inclusive. Our six intervention ideas focused in the areas of recruitment, retention, and adherence, applying the SANOFI framework and evidence from behavioral science. Many of Sanofi’s competitors are beginning to incorporate behavioral science into their research and development and commercial practices. We benchmarked the use of behavioral science in 10 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies.

High Level Goals

• Leverage research insights to diagnose problem at hand

• Propose strategies to increase and improve patient engagement in clinical trials

• Literature review - Survey existing literature to identify applications in various contexts and then synthesize the insights  

Our research highlights the significant role that behavioral science can play in improving diversity, retention, and adherence in clinical trials. By applying the SANOFI framework, we developed six targeted interventions designed to enhance recruitment strategies, reduce participant dropout, and improve medication adherence. These interventions align with behavioral principles such as simplification, social proof, and commitment devices, making them cost-effective and feasible for implementation.

Our benchmarking analysis of 10 of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies demonstrates that behavioral science is increasingly being integrated into clinical research and commercial practices. However, there remains an opportunity for Sanofi to take a leading role in systematically applying behavioral insights across its trials.

By adopting behavioral interventions, Sanofi can:

• Improve participant retention, reducing costly attrition rates.

• Enhance medication adherence, ensuring more reliable clinical data.

• Increase trial diversity, leading to more generalizable and equitable health outcomes.

Integrating behavioral science into clinical trials is not only a competitive advantage but also a step toward more inclusive, patient-centered research that can drive meaningful improvements in public health.