Approximately 50% of global clinical trials are conducted in the Asia Pacific region today. The clinical trial landscape of Asia has been expanding beyond China in recent years. Although over 60% of the clinical trials in the region were initiated in China during 2024, China does not solely drive the region’s growth. More countries in Asia have growing clinical research capacity and are capturing significant interest from foreign sponsors.
India stands out as an example, as it is now a major growth market, overtaking Japan in terms of new clinical trial initiations. The rapid growth in India is supported by large numbers of patients, lower costs, and a rapidly growing Contract Development & Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) ecosystem. In comparison, Japan has experienced a gradual decline in the number of new clinical trials over the last decade, partly due to difficulties with recruiting the appropriate patients. Japan, however, continues to have a strong clinical trial market in advanced therapies such as cellular and gene therapies.
Some smaller countries in Asia are also growing their clinical trial businesses. Singapore is developing as a regional research center, and Korea, Australia, and parts of Southeast Asia are seeing benefits from their strong healthcare systems, improving regulatory processes, and financial support from their governments. Political risk and logistical considerations continue to encourage sponsors to develop clinical development plans that span multiple countries in the Asia-Pacific region.
Written by: Ames Gross – President and Founder, Pacific Bridge Medical (PBM)
Mr. Gross founded PBM in 1988 and has helped hundreds of medical companies with regulatory and business development issues in Asia. He is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the Asian medical markets. Mr. Gross has a BA degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University.