Tufts University Center for the Study of Drug Development has just released a study on clinical trials in the U.S. Researchers at the university, who studied data filed with FDA between 1997 and 2004, involving over 100,000 U.S. clinical trials, note a sharp decline in the number of trials as well as the number of principal investigators running the trials. Both have decreased by 11% over the past five years. Tufts suggests that this trend will lead to an erosion of the skill sets needed for clinical trials, as well as more difficulties recruiting U.S. patients for such trials. Is this a clear signal that the U.S. is losing its edge in drug innovation? What do you think?
-AMS
