Insights On Clinical Trial Enrollment: Where We Are As We Head Into 2022

The last two years have brought tremendous change and rapid innovation to the life sciences industry. Yet, patient enrollment persists as a critical challenge for sponsors and CROs. Currently, 80% of trials do not enroll within target enrollment timeframes and 55% of terminated trials cite low patient accrual as the main reason. ^{1, 2}

Since 2020, the life sciences industry faced unprecedented challenges as COVID-19 put traditional clinical trial modalities to the ultimate test. As the effects of the pandemic fluctuated, Medidata continued to monitor clinical trial developments in a series of research reports.³ A year after our last report, we look back to assess the continued impact of the pandemic on clinical trial enrollment to help the industry navigate the dynamic landscape as we enter 2022. For the purpose of this analysis, we focus on Phase II and III studies across four therapeutic areas (TAs).

After multiple waves of new cases, the emergence of variants, and the rollout of mass vaccination campaigns, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to negatively affect clinical trial enrollment. The impact on enrollment rates varies across TAs and geographies, with some leading in recovery toward pre-pandemic levels, while others lag behind.