Global Inequalities in Clinical Trials Participation

2026-01-08

medRxiv

AI Summary

This study investigates whether global participation in clinical trials aligns with the worldwide distribution of disease burden. By integrating data from over 62,000 randomized controlled trials involving 36.8 million participants between 2000 and 2024 and linking them to country-level disease burden metrics, the authors employ variance decomposition and statistical modeling to quantify, for the first time, the relative contributions of national factors and disease types to participation inequities. The findings reveal that country-level factors account for more than 90% of the observed variation in trial participation, with high-income countries consistently dominating recruitment across nearly all disease areas. This pattern underscores that disparities in trial enrollment stem primarily from structural geographic concentration rather than the actual distribution of disease burden, thereby highlighting the limitations of vertical, disease-specific strategies in addressing systemic imbalances in global clinical research.

Technology Category

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Abstract

Clinical trials shape medical evidence and determine who gains access to experimental therapies. Whether participation in these trials reflects the global burden of disease remains unclear. Here we analyze participation inequality across more than 62,000 randomized controlled trials spanning 16 major disease categories from 2000 to 2024. Linking 36.8 million trial participants to country-level disease burden, we show that global inequality in clinical trial participation is overwhelmingly structured by country rather than disease. Country-level factors explain over 90% of variation in participation, whereas disease-specific effects contribute only marginally. Removing entire disease categories-including those traditionally considered underfunded-has little effect on overall inequality. Instead, participation is highly concentrated geographically, with a small group of countries enrolling a disproportionate share of participants across nearly all diseases. These patterns have persisted despite decades of disease-targeted funding and increasing alignment between research attention and disease burden within diseases. Our findings indicate that disease-vertical strategies alone cannot correct participation inequality. Reducing global inequities in clinical research requires horizontal investments in research capacity, health infrastructure, and governance that operate across disease domains.

Problem

• clinical trial participation
• global inequality
• country-level disparity
• research inequity
• disease burden

Innovation

• participation inequality
• country-level analysis
• horizontal investment
• clinical trial equity
• global health infrastructure