The Annual Clinical Trials Roundup: Phase I–III Clinical Trial Initiations

By Heidi Chen, Associate Director, Research & Commercial Services

In the preceding year, researchers at Citeline highlighted the resilience and resurgence of clinical trial activity after the pandemic, with a 6% growth in total trials (22% excluding COVID-19 trials) in 2021. Fast forward one year and the roller coaster ride continued as the healthcare sector grappled with the ongoing influence of the global economy and political climate. Major events, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, the Russo-Ukrainian war, substantial funding cuts and divestments in the biopharma sector, and stagnant economic growth in China, posed significant challenges for the healthcare industry in 2022. As the world strives to regain momentum and move beyond the pandemic, navigating the evolving regulatory landscape and market dynamics demands endurance and perseverance.

As of June 26, 2023, Trialtrove curated 9,104 Phase 1–3 clinical trials investigating at least one drug with a disclosed start date within the calendar year of 2022. This marks a decline of 12.5%, breaking the upward trend in clinical trial counts for the first time since 2016. In 2021, there was a year-on-year (Y-O-Y) growth rate that approached pre-pandemic levels once the disruptions caused by COVID-19 seemed to have abated. Excluding COVID-19 trials from the 2021 mix, trial growth returned an impressive 22%. However, in 2022, there is a notable decrease in overall trials, and even with the exclusion of COVID-19 trials, trial initiations show a 6% decline.

The clinical trial landscape undergoes some changes when examining industry-sponsored trials, which may better reflect the current health of the pharmaceutical industry. In 2022, industry-sponsored trials decreased by 7% overall. However, excluding COVID-19 trials reduces this decline to 4%, indicating the industry's resilience in survival mode since 2021.

In this edition of Citeline's Clinical Trials Roundup, author Heidi Chen provides an overview of Phase 1–3 clinical trials initiated in 2022 across all therapeutic areas covered comprehensively by Trialtrove. Delve into in-depth analyses of key diseases, players, and geographies influencing the pharmaceutical industry and explore any lasting effects of the pandemic, recovery efforts, and the challenges of adapting to the new equilibrium by downloading the white paper below.