The Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) today welcomed encouraging growth in clinical trial activity in Ireland, while highlighting that system reforms are needed to ensure the country can compete internationally and maximise benefits for patients.
New data shows that a total of 165 pharmaceutical industry-sponsored clinical trials were commenced in Ireland between 2023 and 2025, with numbers rising year-on-year — from 41 in 2023 to 51 in 2024 (up 24%), and a further increase to 73 in 2025 (up 44%). However, IPHA cautioned that Ireland continues to underperform relative to comparable countries. Denmark, with a similar population and economic profile, initiated over two-and-a-half times as many clinical trials (425 vs 157) over the same period.
Clinical trials start-up time following the EU Clinical Trial Regulation (CTR) approval as ideally as short as possible. However, significant challenges also persist in clinical trial set-up times in Ireland. In fact, Ireland ranked as the slowest of all EU member states for the time from EU CTR approval to the first clinical trial site being ready (213 days) for studies commenced between 2023 to 2025.
Per capita, Ireland also lags many European peers, ranking 14th out of 27 EU countries in 2025 for clinical trial activity.
Oncology remains the largest area of clinical research in Ireland, accounting for 48% of industry-sponsored trials, yet participation remains below national ambition. Just 1.5% of cancer patients were enrolled in interventional clinical trials in 2023, significantly short of the 6% target set in the National Cancer Strategy.
IPHA emphasised that improving Ireland’s performance is critical not only for competitiveness, but for patients’ access to cutting-edge treatments. Dr. Rebecca Cramp, Director of Code and Regulatory Affairs at IPHA, said:
“There is clear published evidence that by including patients in clinical trials their health improves substantially. Thus, while it is encouraging to see growth in the number of clinical trials conducted in Ireland, it is of concern that we remain significantly behind comparable European countries. Clinical trials not only improve patients’ health, they also create benefits for our healthcare system and generate significant revenue, benefitting our economy too. To realise this considerable potential, Ireland must address persistent delays, administrative burdens and structural barriers that continue to impact clinical trial start-up, performance and delivery.”
IPHA noted that the recommendations of the National Clinical Trials Oversight Group (NCTOG) provide a clear roadmap to strengthen Ireland’s clinical research environment and attract further investment.
Dr. Cramp added: “If fully implemented, the NCTOG recommendations represent a unique opportunity to transform Ireland into a leading destination for clinical research. This will require sustained political commitment, clear governance, and a focus on delivery. Importantly, with the right reforms, we can readily ensure that Irish patients are among the first to reap the benefits of cutting-edge medical treatments.”
To accelerate progress, IPHA is calling for five priority reforms:
- Establish a Clinical Trials Advisory Council (CTAC) with clear authority and political backing to oversee implementation of the NCTOG recommendations
- Introduce a universal Clinical Trial Contract and standardised costing template to reduce administrative burdens, inconsistencies and delays
- Develop national guidance on data protection responsibilities and designated officer sign-off to improve consistency across clinical trial sites
- Create a national open-access clinical trials dashboard with Key Performance Indicators, integrated into HSE reporting, to enhance transparency, accountability and monitoring
- Plan strategically for workforce needs, including clear career pathways with stable job roles to attract, motivate and retain clinical research talent
IPHA emphasises that delivering these measures will be key to strengthening Ireland’s position as a global leader in life sciences and ensuring that our patients can benefit fully from participation in world-class, life enhancing, clinical trials.
