The United Kingdom met its 150-day goal for eligible commercial contract interventional clinical trials of investigational medicinal products (CTIMPs), but wider recruitment measures remained below target, government data showed.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said Oct. 21 that all 24 eligible studies with applications submitted from January through March 2026 and a known status enrolled a first participant within the deadline. The result exceeded its 95% target. That count combines records from the Central Portfolio Management System (CPMS) with information supplied by sponsors.
For the same application cohort, the median time to first enrollment was 100 calendar days, down from 153 days a year earlier. DHSC calculates the median using CPMS records alone, so it draws on a different set of information from the 24-study count.
The 150-day clock ends when the first person enters a trial at any participating site. The indicator excludes advanced therapy investigational medicinal product (ATIMP) studies, as well as certain low-recruitment and extension studies and those whose sponsors say the deadline is unsuitable. DHSC says its indicators cover only part of the U.K. clinical research system; the faster starts do not establish that total enrollment or treatment outcomes improved.
Other measures show the challenge beyond that narrow group. Among 99 studies approved in March that subsequently opened for recruitment, 51 did so within 60 days, or 52%, against a 90% target. Of 71 studies that opened that month and enrolled a first participant, 43 reached that milestone within 30 days, or 61%, also against a 90% target. DHSC says the latter measure has remained below its current target since 2017.
In September, 82% of 4,241 open studies across all types were recruiting to their planned timetable and target, exceeding the 80% goal for all studies. The figure was 77% among 1,138 open commercial contract studies.
The government aims to use faster, more predictable trial starts to attract research investment and give patients earlier opportunities to participate. A qualitative review by the Association of Medical Research Charities and UK Research + Development found mixed accounts of the effect on noncommercial research. Just over half of responses described lower priority for that work, while about a third reported equal treatment or benefits from faster processes. The authors linked some reported prioritization to commercial income, performance incentives and limited staff and facilities. The review cannot show how often those experiences occur.
The next DHSC performance release is provisionally scheduled for Nov. 18.
