Swiss groups seek reforms as clinical trial numbers fall
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Leading Swiss pharmaceutical and cancer organizations are demanding clinical research reforms following a significant 10-year decline in local clinical trials.
The Swiss Cancer Institute (SCI) and pharmaceutical industry association Interpharma are calling for changes to Switzerland’s clinical research framework after figures cited by the organizations showed the number of clinical trials fell by more than a quarter over a decade.
Trials declined from 185 in 2014 to 137 in 2024, according to their joint statement. The groups warned that Switzerland’s weakening position could limit patients’ early access to new treatments and reduce its attractiveness to researchers and investors.
Clinical cancer research in Switzerland is at an extremely critical juncture. In particular, academic clinical research—that is, studies not conducted by the pharmaceutical industry—has been on the decline, explained Vincent Gruntz, director of the Swiss Cancer Institute (SCI).
Consequences for Patients
Clinical trials are scientific studies conducted on humans to evaluate the safety and efficacy of new drugs, therapies, or medical devices. Clinical cancer research has significantly improved survival rates in recent years.
“Nearly 70 percent of the Swiss population will develop cancer at some point in their lives,” said Lea Kusano of the SCI at the press conference. A decline in these studies in Switzerland would mean that patients would have less frequent access to new treatment options at an early stage. “For cancer patients who have exhausted all other treatment options, a clinical trial is often the last and only treatment option,” said Gruntz.
Clinical Trials Abroad
While significantly fewer such studies are being conducted in Switzerland, the number is rising worldwide. In Asia in particular, the number is growing. “Fifty-five percent of all cancer studies are now launched in China,” said Gruntz.
This is a problem not only because of the resulting dependence on China. “Clinical trials conducted in genetically different populations cannot be applied directly to Switzerland,” Gruntz emphasizes. The result is less effective treatments and more side effects.
SCI and Interpharma cite, among other reasons, the fact that regulatory processes for approving clinical trials in Switzerland are slow, unpredictable, and expensive compared to other countries. Furthermore, Switzerland lacks a digitally networked data ecosystem that is easily accessible for research purposes, and the funding provided by the federal government is insufficient. “Right now, we have 50 trials that we cannot conduct because we lack the funding,” said Gruntz.
