Concern over low rate of clinical trial participants

Fewer than 2 per cent of Swedish patients in all medical diagnosis areas participated in clinical trials between 2010 and 2016, a report has found.

Patients diagnosed with blood diseases and immune system disorders recorded the highest clinical trial participation rate, at 1.5 per cent, the report, conducted by the Swedish Research Council, said. This was followed by heart disease patients at 1.4 per cent and those suffering from parasitic diseases and infections at 0.9 per cent.

The report used data from the European Clinical Trials Database and the National Board of Health and Welfare’s registry to calculate how many eligible patients took part in trials between 2010 and 2016. It aims to provide an overview of pharmaceutical research in Sweden in terms of patient participation and demographics.