The European Clinical Trials Information Network (ClinicalTrials.EU) has today announced the official launch of its platform across the continent.
This patient-focused platform is set to address one of the most pressing challenges in medical and pharmaceutical research: the recruitment of suitable patients. It does so by giving patients improved access to clinical trials, offering them the latest comprehensive information in seven European languages.
Currently, over 15,500 clinical trials in Europe are in pre-recruitment or recruitment stages. However, as many as 80 percent of these trials face difficulties in obtaining or retaining enough participants, which can lead to delays, higher costs, or even the abandonment of trials. On the other hand, 86% of patients are missed by traditional clinical trial recruitment approaches. ClinicalTrials.EU bridges the gap between researchers and patients, drawing information from a range of public and private sources and delivering it in an accessible, patient-friendly format.
Dr Łukasz Izbicki, who founded the platform and previously established Farmacja.net Group (acquired by IQVIA), said of the project: “Our mission at ClinicalTrials is simple. To connect research centres actively working on rare and serious diseases and illnesses with patients actively seeking appropriate therapies and create ‘Clinical Trials: Easily Understood’.”
He added, “Until now there has been no single place where both parties could meet with confidence and find comprehensive information in a number of different languages. This has been a huge barrier in the development of treatments, as often, the absolute numbers of patients for rare diseases might be very small and geographically diverse and it can be challenging to locate and engage with them. As many as 80% of trials face challenges with patient recruitment.”
Recruiting patients for trials has historically been inefficient and expensive, often relying on existing patient databases or referrals from doctors, meaning many patients are not aware of trials that could suit them. ClinicalTrials.EU seeks to change this by allowing patients to find appropriate trials themselves, using AI-powered pre-screening to help researchers identify suitable participants.
By speeding up the recruitment process, ClinicalTrials.EU allows trials to be implemented faster, potentially leading to quicker development of innovative therapies. The platform also supports decentralised research, allowing patients to participate in trials remotely, which is especially important for those unable to travel long distances.
While new to Europe, this model already represents nearly 25% of the clinical trials market in the United States, due to its convenience, cost-effectiveness, and the ease it brings to the recruitment process.
The European clinical trials market was valued at over USD 6 billion in 2023, and it is predicted to reach USD 9.6 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 7% between 2024 and 2029.
Even during its beta phase, the platform gained significant support from within the industry. ClinicalTrials.EU is now recognised among key market players, partnering with NORD, the US Rare Disease Organization, and joining the EU Cross Border Clinical Trials Initiative (EU-X-CT), a collaboration between the EU Parliament and EFPICA. It also works with Patient Advocacy Groups, the Polish Medical Research Agency, and academic sites on non-commercial trials, in addition to working commercially with Sponsors, CROs, and Sites.
Dr Izbicki added: “We are excited at the amount of traction we have already seen prior to a formal rollout. And this is just the start! Currently, we aggregate data for the database from publicly available sources, we have enabled individual sponsors and research centres to post information about their projects on the platform. We have acquired the first commercial customers in this area and we are seeing huge interest in this area.”
He continued, “By the end of the year, we plan to start working with the 30 largest CROs (Contract Research Organisations) globally, which represent around 10 percent of the clinical trials market. Our mission is to increase access to clinical trials for patients who, for various reasons, are not treated as effectively as they could be.”
Prof Wojciech Fendler, Head of the Polish Medical Research Agency, concluded: “Clinical trials are critical for developing new therapies, and the success of recruitment depends on providing both patients and researchers with a unified platform as ClinicalTrials.eu that facilitates access to information and collaboration, which until now has been scattered across various sources.”
