Annual Completed Clinical Trials Report

Last updated: Dec 16, 2025

The growth of completed trials activity in 2023 reflects broad increases across most therapeutic areas, and a clear break from pandemic period fluctuations observed since 2020. In addition to broad-based completed trials growth in 2023, trial success rates improved year over year, another reflection of how the challenges of the pandemic years are no longer driving trends in 2023.

Introduction

Trialtrove recorded 4,295 industry-sponsored clinical trials from Phase I through Phase III/IV that either reached completed status or reported primary endpoints during 2023.* This number is 10.7% higher than the 3,881 completed trials in 2022 and reflects a return to growth by this metric. Another 1,030 trials were reported as terminated in 2023, representing an 8.1% increase over 2022 terminations (953). Since 2020, the completed trials counts have alternated between annual decreases, in 2020 and 2022, and increased trial completions, in 2021 and 2023.

In contrast with the pandemic period oscillations, all therapeutic areas (TAs) reported higher completions in 2023. Infectious diseases (ID) growth was negligible compared to other TAs and central nervous system (CNS) returned to the top three TAs (third place) for the first time since 2020. The broad increase in annual trial completions reflects diminishing COVID-19 pandemic disruptions on clinical trial activity.

The high activity sponsored by the top 20 group of companies dominates topline trial counts again this year. All other pharma (AOP) companies continue to increase their share of completed trials activity while occupying certain geographic and disease focus niches. This white paper highlights how broad-based completed trials growth is accompanied by higher success rates across multiple TAs, as pandemic-related disruptions and infectious disease-related activity come to an end after three years of oscillations.

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