Breast cancer studies top global clinical trials for 2022
15 Jan 2023
Breast cancer remains the most studied disease according to recent global analysis of thousands of clinical trials.
Phesi’s annual report for 2022 studied nearly 81,000 trials throughout the world to reveal that breast cancer tops the list. While COVID-19 testing is in second place, a total of three out of the five most-studied diseases fall within the oncology sphere.
Prostate cancer occupies third place, followed by solid tumour testing in fourth and stroke testing in fifth place.
“Oncology remains an area of high investment in clinical development, however, 2022 has seen a widespread scale back of overall activity. The reduction of recruiting trials in the top most-studied disease indications is due to several global factors including the pandemic and the war in Ukraine,” commented Phesi President Dr Gen Li.
He added that, with the increase in COVID-19 vaccines and therapies, it was unsurprising that the number of recruiting trials for therapies fell. However, there was an unexpected reduction in breast cancer trials – 113 fewer compared with 2021.
“This demonstrates the pressures facing the clinical development industry as the consequences from several years of disruption become visible,” he stated.
Also notable was an increase in Phase II terminations, with an attrition rate for clinical trials of 28%, which represents a 42% rise on the previous five-year average. This exceeded 2020 when the pandemic had caused “unprecedented disruption” said the Phesi president and could have serious implications:
“These high levels of attrition at Phase II are likely to have an ongoing effect on the clinical development industry and may slow the rate at which new therapies reach market, or even prevent viable new therapies from ever reaching patients.”
Two diseases – non-small cell lung cancer and multiple myeloma – dropped out of the top five trial areas, to be replaced by prostate cancer and stroke.
Phesi’s full report can be viewed here.
