World’s Most Clinically Tested Medical Conditions
Clinical trials are essential to medical research and to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new drugs, treatments, and medical devices. Several medical conditions have received significant global attention in clinical trials over the last few years. The following medical conditions were the most researched in clinical trials between 2020-2022:
Cancer is the most researched medical condition in clinical trials worldwide. New drugs and treatments are being developed to treat, detect, and diagnose cancer early.
Another focus of recent clinical trials is the development of new drugs, devices, and treatments for cardiovascular diseases, such as heart disease and stroke.
Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting memory and cognitive function. Many clinical trials are underway to find new treatments, diagnoses, and detection tools for Alzheimer’s disease.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in clinical trials to discover safe and effective treatments and vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Millions of people worldwide live with diabetes. Currently, clinical trials are being conducted to develop new drugs and treatments to treat diabetes and find ways to prevent its associated complications.
The treatment of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder, has also become a main area of focus for clinical trials in recent years.
While rare diseases affect a small number of people, many clinical trials aim to develop affordable treatments and find ways to diagnose and manage these rare conditions.
As of February 2023, the number of clinical trials by medical condition are:
| Medical Condition | Number of Clinical Trials Globally |
| Cancer | 162,464 |
| Cardiovascular diseases | 70,049 |
| COVID-19 | 16,405 |
| Alzheimer’s disease | 10,446 |
| Diabetes | 9,621 |
| Mental health disorders | 8,696 |
| Rare diseases | 8,351 |
Reference: ClinicalTrials.gov. https://clinicaltrials.gov/