Interesting Stats From The Clinical Trials and Medical Research Industry

Clinical Research and Medical Statistics

Statistics from the USA and UK medical research industry:

It is estimated that up to a quarter of all clinical trials end because of a lack of volunteers.
The MHRA issues about 1,100 licences every year for clinical trials - of these, about 300 are for phase I studies, involving healthy volunteers
The MHRA said at any one time in the UK there are about 100 Phase I trials being carried out. Phase I trials usually involve a small number of healthy volunteers.
In the case of cancer clinical trials some 20,000 patients are involved every year.
On average it takes circa 10 – 12 years and £500 million to develop a major new medicine, about 60% of which is spent on clinical trials
Today there are over 1,000 medicinal compounds in use. The drugs we use today come from a large variety of sources, which in the past included many natural sources. For example Aspirin came from Willow Bark, and penicillin came from moulds.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) reports that less than 1 in 10,000 compounds which are initially tested make it through the clinical process and gain approval for use on people.
UK pharmaceutical R&D is second only to the US in discovering the world's most successful medicines.
A quarter of the global top 100 medicines originated in Britain.
The pharmaceutical industry in the UK reinvests more than 34 per cent of its turnover in researching new medicines.
The UK’s pharmaceutical industry spends nearly £10 million a day on research and development (ABPI)
12 out of the top 25 medicines prescribed by GP’s on the NHS are British
For every, 10,000 molecules screened, an average of 250 enter pre-clinical testing, 10 make it through to clinical trials, and only one is approved by the regulator. (Economist, June 18, 2005)
According to the FDA, approximately 70% of new medical treatments pass Phase I testing stage.
The FDA review period usually lasts about one year for most New Drug Applications (NDAs). The FDA also has an expedited review process for priority drugs—usually lasting under six months. Priority drugs are those that represent a notable treatment benefit for critical and severe illnesses. Approximately 60% of all NDAs are approved by the FDA.
In the 1960s, it took 8.1 years to develop a new drug; in the 1990s it took researchers 15.3 years, or nearly double the time. (Association of Clinical Research Professionals)
According to a Yale University study, in 1980, 32% of biomedical research and development in the U.S. was funded by industry. By 2000, the figure had soared to 62%. (Source: Business Week: June, 2004)
The number of participants needed for a new drug trial jumped more than 90 percent from the '80s to the '90s. The average number of participants was about 2,270 in the '80s, and 3,700 a decade later. (US - Food and Drug Administration)
Carefully conducted clinical trials are the fastest and safest way to find treatments that work. (US National Institutes of Health)
Less than 5 percent of cancer patients participate in clinical trials. If 10 percent participated, studies could be completed in one year, instead of the three-five years that studies currently require. (US - National Cancer Institute)
Experts credit research volunteers with helping to develop treatments that have cut the male death rate from coronary heart disease by 50 percent (Reader's Digest)
Recent statistics from the US - National Cancer Institute (NCI) show that the overall 5-year survival rate for pediatric cancer is now at 78%. Clinical research has been responsible for the discovery of virtually all of the groundbreaking treatments for childhood cancer. Survival rates have also been linked to participation in pediatric clinical trials.