Clinical trial enrollment crisis threatens billions in revenue and patient access

Clinical trials are struggling with enrollment, with about 80% missing timelines and less than 5% of eligible adult cancer patients participating.

Delays have huge financial impact; each day a phase‑3 oncology trial is delayed can cost $600,000‑$8 million, and the industry loses an estimated $50 billion annually.

At the DPHARM conference in Boston, biopharma leaders highlighted site capacity as a key bottleneck, noting that many U.S. sites are already saturated.

The shortage of trial sites and the difficulty recruiting a patient pool that reflects real‑world demographics were identified as major contributors to the enrollment shortfall.