Breast cancer came in as the most studied disease in 2022, according to the patient data analytics firm Phesi.
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Breast cancer remained the most-studied disease area for 2022, even in the face of falling numbers in trial recruitment.
The top five global recruiting trials in 2022 covered breast cancer, COVID-19, prostate cancer, solid tumors and stroke, according to data compiled by the patient data analytics firm Phesi. Prostate cancer and stroke entered the top five, knocking non-small cell lung cancer and multiple myeloma further down the list.
While heart disease and stroke took first and second place for the world’s top killers, breast cancer remains the most common cancer. Nearly 300,000 new cases were diagnosed in 2022. Prostate cancer follows closely in second place. Yet, numbers for recruiting trials in all areas were down.
Dr. Gen Li, president of the global data analytics company, pointed to the massive disruption of a global pandemic and the war in Ukraine as contributing factors to lower activity across the clinical trial board. With multiple vaccines and therapies now approved, naturally, the number of recruiting trials around COVID-19 treatments has fallen.
“However, the reduction in breast cancer trials is unexpected, with 113 fewer recruiting trials in 2022 compared with 2021,” Li said. “This demonstrates the pressures facing the clinical development industry as the consequences from several years of disruption become visible.”
Phase II Trial Terminations Rose
The biggest trend change was the significant increase in Phase II trial terminations (28%), which was 42% higher than the previous five-year average.
This drop is even greater than what was seen in 2020 when SARS-CoV-2 upended clinical trials as we knew them. Investigative studies found the pandemic negatively impacted patient enrollment, protocol adherence, clinical trial operations and data collection.
“As we enter the fourth year of pandemic, the industry has more tools to mitigate its impact, but signs of damage continue to emerge. Clinical trial design must follow a more data-led, patient-centric approach to minimize protocol amendments and terminations, and ensure successful study outcomes,” Li said.
This increased rate of Phase II terminations will likely have an ongoing effect on the industry, with the potential to slow or, worse, prevent new therapies from reaching the market. Recession speculation has many biotech and pharma giants reducing costs across the board.
