Real-World Data Offers Insights Beyond Clinical Trials

Researchers say real-world evidence can expand understanding of drug treatments beyond the limited parameters of clinical studies.

Apr. 6, 2026 at 5:36pm

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A highly detailed, translucent X-ray photograph of a human heart, its intricate structures and chambers visible as glowing, ghostly lines against a dark background, conveying the clinical and anatomical nature of the story while hinting at the deeper insights that can be gleaned from real-world data.Real-world data from medical records and prescription databases can reveal how treatments perform beyond the controlled parameters of clinical trials, offering a more comprehensive understanding of their impact.Washington Today

While clinical trials aim for homogeneity among participants to ensure the legitimacy of tested therapies, this approach can overlook how real-world patients may respond differently. Researchers are increasingly turning to real-world data from electronic medical records, nationwide databases, and prescription data to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how treatments perform outside the controlled setting of a clinical trial.

Why it matters

Real-world data can reveal insights that clinical trials miss, such as how treatments perform in more diverse patient populations, the reasons behind patient behaviors like stopping or switching medications, and potential disparities in access to evidence-based care. This information can help bridge the gap between what is studied in trials and the realities clinicians face in everyday practice.

The details

Researchers are leveraging real-world data to answer questions that clinical trials often cannot, such as the use of medical devices, head-to-head comparisons of drugs, and patient behaviors around stopping, restarting, and switching medications. For example, a review of medical records for 590,000 people in Europe found disparities in the prescribing of SGLT2 inhibitors, with more men, White people, and those under 60 receiving the medications compared to women, non-White individuals, and older adults.

  • In 2018, guidelines were changed to recommend SGLT2 inhibitors for those with obesity and at high risk of or with existing cardiovascular disease.
  • Between 2007 and 2023, researchers analyzed medical records of 29,780 patients to evaluate prescribing patterns for GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors.

The players

David K. Ryan

Doctoral fellow at the Institute of Health Informatics and ST4 Doctor in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at University College London.

Irl B. Hirsch

Professor and diabetes treatment and teaching chair at the University of Washington School of Medicine and UW Medicine Diabetes Institute.

Gregg Fonarow

Director of the Ahmanson-UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center and the Eliot Corday Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine and Science at UCLA.

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What they’re saying

“It is often the case that the treatment dilemmas we face in the clinic do not align perfectly with the current evidence base. This presents a problem.”

— David K. Ryan, Doctoral fellow, Institute of Health Informatics and ST4 Doctor in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

“What you see in real-world evidence is something that [pharma] can do something about.”

— Irl B. Hirsch, Professor, diabetes treatment and teaching chair, University of Washington School of Medicine and UW Medicine Diabetes Institute

“The next challenge is ensuring that these guideline changes translate into real-world patient benefit, particularly because of the disparities in prescribing.”

— David K. Ryan, Doctoral fellow, Institute of Health Informatics and ST4 Doctor in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

What’s next

Researchers and clinicians will need to continue working to ensure that insights from real-world data are effectively communicated to and implemented by primary care physicians to improve patient outcomes and address disparities in access to evidence-based care.

The takeaway

Real-world data offers a valuable complement to clinical trials, providing a broader understanding of how treatments perform in diverse patient populations and real-world settings. This information can help bridge the gap between what is studied in controlled trials and the realities clinicians face in everyday practice.