The COVID-19 pandemic is hampering the initiation and progress of clinical trials in Asia and around the world. Few patients are entering studies, and trials of new treatments are on hold.
In Korea, the number of new patients enrolling in clinical studies in May was down by 54% compared with the same month in 2019, according to the findings of a report by Medidata Solutions. Globally, the decrease was even higher, at 75%.
Many clinical trials have stopped recruiting new patients altogether. Others, aware that patients cannot visit test centers safely because of the pandemic, have begun offering remote medical services and have had to significantly revise their study protocols.