Key Challenges CRO Data Managers Face with Outsourced Secondary Data Research
Published on: 21 Jan 2026
Last updated: 21 Jan 2026
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Data managers in CROs and life science firms outsourcing secondary data research encounter predictable pain points that undermine ROI. These challenges, drawn from industry patterns and Ascentrik's client feedback, directly impact trial timelines, product freshness, and compliance.
1. Data Freshness and Staleness
Challenge: Aggregators deliver recycled databases that become outdated within weeks, killing live databases and data subscription products. CROs need weekly trial updates, but vendors often miss amendments, sponsor changes, or new Phase I signals.
Impact: Subscriber churn when intelligence lacks freshness. "Stale data was our biggest issue," is the typical client feedback.
Ascentrik Solution: Ground-up sourcing—no stored databases. Full-time researchers query live registries continuously.
2. Poor Data Quality and Inconsistent Accuracy
Challenge: Vendors prioritise volume over verification, delivering inconsistent formats or unverified records. Human nuance (regional trial discrepancies, safety signal context) gets lost in automation.
Impact: Internal teams spend 30-40% time re-cleaning data, negating outsourcing ROI.
3. Loss of Control and Visibility
Challenge: Black-box processes hide methodologies. Data managers can't track sourcing decisions, validation steps, or freshness timestamps, complicating audits and SLA enforcement.
Impact: "No visibility into how they found X trial data" frustrates compliance teams.
Red Flag: Vendors resisting audit trails or source documentation.
4. Communication Breakdowns and Misalignment
Challenge: Time zone gaps, cultural differences, and poor project scoping lead to mismatched deliverables.
Impact: Multiple revision cycles delay live product launches by 2-4 weeks.
Ascentrik Difference: Timezone-aligned researchers with daily syncs, dedicated to each client project.
5. Integration Nightmares
Challenge: Data arrives in wrong formats—CSV instead of API-ready JSON, unnormalized fields, missing your database schema. Lack of enrichment forces manual work.
Impact: Database managers spend days reformatting instead of analyzing.
Example: EU registry dates in DD/MM vs. your MM/DD requirement breaks imports.
6. Compliance and Ethical Risks
Challenge: Vendors use unverified sources lacking HIPAA/GDPR compliance, opt-in consent, or proper anonymisation. Trial sponsor data gets mishandled.
Impact: Regulatory exposure for CROs; clients demand audit-proof provenance.
7. Scalability Limitations
Challenge: Vendors cap capacity during peak trial seasons. Can't suddenly handle 5x oncology data volume for Phase III launch.
Impact: Internal scramble or delayed intelligence.
Solution: Partners offering full-time researcher teams as extensions.
8. Lack of Domain Expertise
Challenge: Generic BPO firms miss clinical nuances—Phase II vs. real-world evidence distinctions, PK/PD context, or therapeutic-specific endpoints.
Impact: 25-35% irrelevant data delivered, wasting review time.
How Ascentrik Addresses These Head-On
Challenge → Ascentrik Fix
Stale data → Fresh weekly builds, no stored DBs
Poor quality → Human validation + 98% accuracy guarantee
No visibility → Full audit trails + daily reporting
Communication gaps → Timezone teams + your workflows
Integration issues → Your exact formats + schema mapping
Pay-per-success + replacement guarantee
Therapeutic specialists (oncology, rare disease)
35-45% enrichment (KOLs, amendments, context)
Quick Checklist: Spotting Problematic Vendors
❌ Warning Signs | ✅ Partner Qualities |
|---|---|
Credit systems, annual contracts | Pay-per-success, flexible |
Generic datasets | Ground-up custom builds |
No therapeutic expertise | Domain specialists |
Poor communication | Daily syncs, timezone match |
No audit trails | Full transparency |
No replacement guarantee | Data accuracy assured |
Data managers overcome these through partner selection rigor—prioritising research specialists over aggregators. Ascentrik Research eliminates 90% of these pain points, delivering the custom secondary intelligence CROs need to scale.
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