Number of clinical trials of new therapeutic agents in the European Union countries of Central and Eastern Europe, 2000–2019

Abstract

Introduction: The clinical research market of the European Union (EU) countries of Central and Eastern Europe has been experiencing a dynamic growth of clinical trials in the last 10 years. Oncology and cardiology are the areas where the most clinical trials are conducted. Aim: This study aims to analyze the clinical research market including countries, medical fields and trial phases in the EU countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The comparative analysis of countries is divided into 5-year periods. Material and methods: Clinical research market analysis was carried out in 11 EU countries of Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. In searching for the number of clinical trials, the ClinicalTrials.gov database was used. Results and discussion: From 2000 to 2019, 6497 clinical trials were conducted in the EU countries of Central and Eastern Europe. There were 1840 clinical trials registered in Poland, 1188 in Czechia, and 1005 in Hungary. The most clinical trials were registered in the field of oncology (22%), followed by cardiology (16%) and neurology (12%). Phase III trials representing as much as 60% (n = 2854) of all conducted medical experiments. The highest increase in the number of clinical trials in the last two 5-year periods (2010–2014 and 2015–2019) was recorded in Estonia, at 471%. Conclusions: There has been a significant increase in the number of clinical phase III trials in the EU countries of Central and Eastern Europe, mainly in Poland, Czechia, and Hungary.