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The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) is calling on government and NHS leadership to address a declining number of people taking part in commercial clinical trials, warning that action is needed if the UK is to remain a competitive location for research.
In its report on UK industry clinical trials, published on 2 December 2025, the ABPI said that the number of people talking part in commercial interventional research studies declined in 2024/2025, even though the overall number of interventional research participants has risen in that time. It is the fourth year in a row to see such a fall.
“The government and NHS leaders must urgently address these factors to ensure the UK remains a competitive location for commercial clinical trials, which generate valuable income for the NHS, and allow UK patients to benefit from participating in cutting-edge medical research,” the report said.
Commercial or industry research is sponsored by private sector organisations, such as pharmaceutical companies, while other, non-commercial, studies are often sponsored or funded by public bodies, such as the NHS or universities.
The report revealed that in 2024, the number of new trials in the UK increased by one-third (35.7%) to 578 trials — up from 426 in 2023.
In 2024/2025, the total number of trial participants increased to 453,276 — up from 385,675 in 2022/2023, the report found. However, the ABPI also raised concerns that the proportion of people recruited to commercial trials was dropping.
In 2017/2018, the report highlighted that 10.3% of all research participants were taking part in commercial trials in the NHS — a figure which had reduced to 3.4% in 2024/2025. This marks the fourth year in a row in which participation in commercial trials has dropped, the report said.
“The UK’s record of slow clinical trial set ups, together with low patient recruitment numbers, are raising costs and lowering the efficiency of running commercial trials in the UK compared to European and international peers,” the report said.
“Government and NHS leaders must urgently address these factors to ensure the UK remains a competitive location for commercial clinical trials, which generate valuable income for the NHS, and allow UK patients to benefit from participating in cutting-edge medical research.”
Virtually all companies surveyed for the report said that they had experienced gaps in the NHS workforce —including of pharmacists — that had negatively impacted UK site selection.
The government has not yet fully outlined how it intends to use the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) investment programme funds to address workforce challenges, it said.
The report recommended that setting “more ambitious” recruitment targets for commercial clinical trials and delivering these higher targets must be prioritised.
“Perverse incentives in performance reporting can deter NHS organisations from setting high recruitment targets for fear of failing to meeting these targets,” it said.
Commenting on the report, Amira Guirguis, chief scientist at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “The fall in participation in commercial clinical trials is concerning as it limits patient access to innovative treatments and reduces income that supports NHS services.
“At a time when the UK is seeking to strengthen its position as a global leader in life sciences, we would welcome efforts to streamline trial processes and see sustained investment in the pharmacy workforce so teams have the capacity to take part in research.
“It is equally important that efforts to increase participation prioritise inclusive and representative recruitment, so that clinical trial populations reflect the diversity of the communities they aim to serve. Enabling more patients, across all backgrounds, to join clinical trials is essential to advancing care, supporting the NHS and strengthening the UK’s life sciences sector.”
The government’s Life Sciences Sector Plan, published in July 2025, set out a commitment to “slashing trial set up times to under 150 days”.
The sector plan also quoted ABPI calculations, which estimated that in 2022/2023, NHS trusts were paid £26,311 for each patient enrolled in commercial interventional clinical trials.
