Exploring the Open Payments database, it becomes clear that clinical activity has proven not just consistent but also remarkably concentrated since 2016. The largest pharmaceutical companies spend by far the most on research and a relatively small number of investigators take part in a very large portion of all U.S. clinical activity.
Unsurprisingly, pharma giants run the most trials and spend the most on research each year. In 2020, the industry’s 20 largest companies (in terms of annual spending volume) accounted for more than 74% of total clinical trial spending. Companies throughout the rest of the top 100 barely register in comparison.
Total 2020 Pharmaceutical Company Payments by Company Size as a Percent of all Pharmaceutical Company Payments:
Largest 1-20 Companies: 74%
Largest 21-50 Companies: 17%
Largest 51-100 Companies: 5%
Smallest Companies: 4%
What’s perhaps more surprising is the relatively limited experience among clinical investigators. Most have participated in five or fewer studies and most participated in just one during the three years covered by this study. In a given year, around 20% of investigators who conduct just one trial will never conduct another one.
The same “usual suspects” conduct the majority of trials each year. It’s possible that these investigators sometimes offer no benefits other than familiarity. A poor fit is sometimes considered preferable to a potentially fruitless investigator identification process.
Though the Open Payments database collects valuable information on every clinical trial and investigator in the country, accessing and leveraging it have proven challenging. SunshineMD can help organizations navigate Open Payments and identify the best investigators for their trials without the need for in-house database deployment resources. Reach out to hello@sunshinemddata.com to schedule a demonstration.
