The biggest causes of regulatory delays are external, and some interruptions can go on for months.
Regulatory professionals assert that the issues come most frequently from suppliers, regulatory authorities, and third-party testing labs/CROs (all 43%), as well as external business partners (39%).
About 1 in 3 regulatory professionals contend that external business partners (34%) cause delays lasting 5 weeks or more.
About 1 in 4 say the same of regulatory authorities (28%), third-party testing labs (26%), suppliers (25%), and customers (22%). Though 6+ month delays are rare, regulatory authorities are the most common culprit (7%).