In this research letter, the team led by Victor DeGruttola, Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Department of Biostatistics at Harvard and a long‑time leader in the ACTG, outlines strategies to preserve the scientific and ethical value of clinical trials that are paused or stopped early for non‑scientific reasons such as funding disruptions or changing outbreak dynamics. He and his co-authors highlight adaptive designs like platform trials, recommend best practices for data handling and harmonization, and emphasize honoring participants’ contributions through thoughtful data use and transparent closure processes. Their guidance helps ensure that important research questions can still be answered—even when trials do not go on as planned.
