Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • From the Analyst's Couch
  • Published:

Trends in the globalization of clinical trials

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Density of actively recruiting clinical sites of biopharmaceutical clinical trials worldwide.

References

  1. Rettig, R. A. The industrialization of clinical research. Health Aff. (Millwood). 19, 129–146 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Olliaro, P. L. et al. Drug studies in developing countries. Bull. World Health Organ. 79, 894–895 (2001).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Shah S. Globalization of clinical research by the pharmaceutical industry. Int. J. Health Serv. 33, 29–36 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Getz K. A. CRO contribution to drug development is substantial and growing globally. Impact Report 8, 1–4 (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Rehnquist J. The Globalization of Clinical Trials: A Growing Challenge in Protecting Human Subjects. Office of Inspector General Department of Health and Human Services web site [online], (2001).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Goldbrunner, T., Doz, Y. Wilson, K. & Veldhoen, S. The Well-Designed Global R&D Network. Strategy + Business web site [online], (2006).

    Google Scholar 

  7. International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). E6(R1). Good Clinical Practice: Consolidated Guideline. ICH web site [online], (1996).

  8. International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). E5(R1). Ethnic factors in the Acceptability of Foreign Clinical Data. ICH web site http://www.ich.org/cache/compo/475-272-1.html[online], (1998).

  9. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act (FDAMA) Section 113 and ClinicalTrials.gov. FDA web site [online], (2007).

  10. De Angelis, C. D et al. Is this clinical trial fully registered? A statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Lancet 365, 1827–1829 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zarin, D. A. et al. Issues in the registration of clinical trials. JAMA 297, 2112–2120 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Jia, H. China beckons to clinical trial sponsors. Nature Biotech. 23, 768 (2005).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank F. L. Douglas and H. Golub of the Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, and M. S. Trusheim, MIT Sloan School, for comments on early drafts. Funding: MIT's Hugh Hampton Young Memorial Fellowship (F.A.T); Louis E. Seley Chaired Professorship (E.R.B).Preliminary results described in Science Master Thesis (F.A.T) entitled: The Globalization of Clinical Drug Development, submitted to the Harvard–MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ernst R. Berndt.

Supplementary information

Supplementary information S1 (box)

Methodology of analysis. (PDF 105 kb)

Supplementary information S2 (box)

Recent evolution of regional shares of biopharmaceutical clinical trial sites. (PDF 140 kb)

Supplementary information S3 (table)

Top 50 countries Ranked by number of trial Sites – shares and trial capacity. (PDF 468 kb)

Supplementary information S4 (table)

Top 50 countries ranked by average relative annual growth rates. (PDF 510 kb)

Supplementary information S5 (table)

Types of trial by region as of April 12, 2008 (in percent) (PDF 130 kb)

Supplementary information S6 (table)

Regional distribution of trial type as of April 12, 2007 (in percent) (PDF 107 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thiers, F., Sinskey, A. & Berndt, E. Trends in the globalization of clinical trials. Nat Rev Drug Discov 7, 13–14 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2441

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd2441

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing