Over the last ten years, the way that the pharmaceutical industry is expected to deliver new drug products to market has seen symbolic change. This shift in process has been driven by a number of significant factors. In the next five years the industry is expected to lose around $290bn in revenue from branded prescription medications going off-patent (the patent cliff) and overall drug development timelines are coming under continued scrutiny. Internal and external pressures mean traditional approaches to drug development are difficult to sustain, and speed to market is paramount to success. In this editorial, Gavin Morgan – Manager, Global Storage and Distribution from PCI’s European logistics operation, explains how to manage your return logistics for clinical trials.