Global clinical trials activity decreased by 8.8% in Q4 2022, when compared with the same quarter in 2021, according to GlobalData.

Industry sponsored trials accounted for a 54.4% share of overall activity in Q4 2022, a decrease of 0.7% when compared with Q4 2021.

Non-industry sponsored trials accounted for a 45.6% share of all clinical trials in Q4 2022, marking an increase of 0.7% when compared with the same period in 2021.

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Q4 2022 industry sponsored clinical trials activity by therapy areas

Oncology was the leading therapy area for industry sponsored clinical trials in Q4 2022, accounting for a 30.2% share of all trials.

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This was followed by Central Nervous System with a 15.9% share, Infectious Disease with 12.7%, Metabolic Disorders with 7.3% and Gastrointestinal with 6.5%.

In Q4 2021, Oncology led with a 27.6% share, followed by Infectious Disease with 16.2%, Central Nervous System with 14.3%, Cardiovascular with 8.2%, and Gastrointestinal with 7.6%.

Industry sponsored trials: Q4 2022 vs Q4 2021
Therapy Area Q4 2021 Q4 2022 Activity
Oncology 27.6% 30.2% Increase
Central Nervous System 14.3% 15.9% Increase
Infectious Disease 16.2% 12.7% Decrease
Metabolic Disorders 7.1% 7.3% Increase
Gastrointestinal 7.6% 6.5% Decrease
Cardiovascular 8.2% 6.4% Decrease
Immunology 6.0% 5.5% Decrease
Respiratory 6.3% 4.7% Decrease
Dermatology 5.0% 4.3% Decrease
Musculoskeletal Disorders 4.0% 3.3% Decrease
Ophthalmology 3.1% 3.3% Increase
Hematological Disorders 2.8% 2.9% Increase
Genito Urinary System And Sex Hormones 2.3% 2.6% Increase
Genetic Disorders 2.1% 2.2% Increase
Women’s Health 2.0% 1.7% Decrease
Male Health 0.9% 0.8% Decrease
Ear Nose Throat Disorders 1.9% 0.6% Decrease
Hormonal Disorders 0.9% 0.6% Decrease
Mouth and Dental Disorders 0.6% 0.5% Decrease
Non Malignant Disorders 0.2% 0.2% Decrease
Nutritional Disorders 0.2% 0.2% Decrease

Most active therapy areas in non-industry sponsored clinical trials

In Q4 2022 the leading therapy area for non-industry sponsored clinical trials was Central Nervous System, accounting for a 27.7% share of all trials.

This was followed Oncology with a 24.2% share, Cardiovascular with 10.0%, Infectious Disease with 8.6%, and Gastrointestinal with 6.5%.

In Q4 2021, Central Nervous System held the lead in non-industry sponsored clinical trials with a 24.9% share, followed by Oncology with 23.5%, Infectious Disease with 13.6%, Cardiovascular with 8.9%, and Gastrointestinal with 6.1%.

Non-Industry sponsored trials: Q4 2022 vs Q4 2021
Therapy Area Q4 2021 Q4 2022 Activity
Central Nervous System 24.9% 27.7% Increase
Oncology 23.5% 24.2% Increase
Cardiovascular 8.9% 10.0% Increase
Infectious Disease 13.6% 8.6% Decrease
Gastrointestinal 6.1% 6.5% Increase
Metabolic Disorders 5.1% 5.5% Increase
Musculoskeletal Disorders 4.4% 5.3% Increase
Women’s Health 5.0% 4.9% Decrease
Respiratory 4.3% 3.8% Decrease
Genito Urinary System And Sex Hormones 2.7% 3.5% Increase
Dermatology 2.9% 3.4% Increase
Hematological Disorders 2.8% 3.3% Increase
Immunology 2.9% 3.2% Increase
Mouth and Dental Disorders 2.3% 2.5% Increase
Ophthalmology 2.1% 1.6% Decrease
Ear Nose Throat Disorders 1.2% 1.2% Decrease
Genetic Disorders 0.6% 1.1% Increase
Nutritional Disorders 0.7% 1.0% Increase
Hormonal Disorders 0.8% 0.8% Decrease
Male Health 0.7% 0.5% Decrease
Non Malignant Disorders 0.3% 0.3% Decrease

Asia-Pacific region has the most activity for industry sponsored clinical trials

Asia-Pacific was the most active region for industry sponsored clinical trials activity in Q4 2022 with a 50.3% share, compared with 57.0% in Q4 2021.

North America was the second most active region with a 36.8% share in Q4 2022, up from 29.2% in Q4 2021, followed by Europe with a 27.6% share in Q4 2022, remaining flat when compared with 27.6% in Q4 2021.

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Single country studies held an 83.8% share in industry sponsored clinical trials in Q4 2022, compared with 84.4% in Q4 2021. Multinational trials accounted for 16.2% in Q4 2022, against 15.6% in Q4 2021.

Regional activity for non-industry sponsored clinical trials

Asia-Pacific saw the most non-industry sponsored clinical trial activity in Q4 2022 with a 57.2% share, up from 49.6% in Q4 2021.

North America held the second position with a 19.3% share in Q4 2022, compared with 15.6% in Q4 2021. This was followed by Middle East and Africa with a 12.3% share in Q4 2022, as against 19.9% in Q4 2021.

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Single country studies accounted for 98.9% share of non-industry sponsored clinical trials in Q4 2022, compared with 98.6% in Q4 2021. Multinational trials accounted for a 1.1% share in Q4 2022, down from 1.4% in Q4 2021.

Clinical trials by phase in Q4 2022

Phase II trials outnumbered all other studies with a 37.9% share for industry sponsored trials in Q4 2022, compared with 33.7% in Q4 2021.

The share of Phase I trials stood at 35.0% in Q4 2022, down from 40.4% in Q4 2021. Phase III trials increased to 18.7% in Q4 2022, compared with 15.3% in Q4 2021, followed by Phase IV trials with an 8.4% share in Q4 2022, against 10.6% in Q4 2021.

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For non-industry sponsored clinical trials, Phase II activity increased to a 49.0% share in Q4 2022, compared with 39.6% in Q4 2021.

Phase IV trials were the second most active with a 20.4% share in Q4 2022, compared with 22.6% in Q4 2021. Phase III trials held a 15.5% share in Q4 2022, against 20.4% in Q4 2021, followed by Phase I trials with a 15.1% share in Q4 2022, over 17.4% in Q4 2021.

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Methodology:
The clinical trials data used for the analyses were extracted from the Clinical Trials Database of GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center. Clinical Trials are sourced from numerous government, non-government and company clinical trial registries worldwide alongside clinical research publications, scientific conferences, company websites, SEC filings and more. The information is gathered by a combination of automation and secondary research to ensure accuracy and validity. A small number of Phase 0, Phase I/II, Phase II/III, and Phase III/IV trials were combined with Phase I, Phase II, Phase III, and Phase IV trials, respectively.