Report reveals Ireland initiates one third of the Interventional Clinical Trials compared to Denmark during 2018-2023

“Urgent investment needed for National Cancer Strategy” - Irish Cancer Society

Thursday, 26th September – Preliminary results from a clinical trials scoping analysis undertaken by Forvis Mazars using clincialtrials.gov highlights that over a 6-year period (2018-2023) there were, on average, 3 times the number of interventional cancer clinical trials started annually in Denmark, when compared to Ireland.

Ireland is also falling far short of its own national target with only 2-3 % of cancer patients currently benefitting from trials. This is in stark contrast to the National Cancer Strategy’s target of 6%.

The Irish Cancer Society is warning that Government’s under investment in clinical trials is just one of the many ways that cancer patients in Ireland are being left behind. In their prebudget submission, the Society warned that screening has not been expanded as planned, target waiting times for cancer tests are not being met, cancer surgeries are often delayed, and radiotherapy services are running below capacity. Access to new medicines is also much slower in Ireland than in other European countries. 

The Irish Cancer Society is urging Government to provide at least €20 million extra for the National Cancer Strategy in next week’s Budget to address the current deficits in cancer research and services.

Averil Power, CEO, Irish Cancer Society, said, “This report highlights yet another area in which Irish cancer patients are being left behind. 

“Without access to clinical trials, patients are missing out on access to new medicines and other interventions that may work better for them than the current standard of care generally available in Ireland. Ireland is missing out on the opportunity to get new medicines for free from the pharmaceutical industry. And our researchers and doctors are missing out on the opportunity to take part in international studies that are essential to finding new and better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer. 

“The fact that similarly-sized Denmark opened three times more cancer clinical trials than Ireland over the period 2018 to 2023, shows how far we are being left behind. Without proper investment in the National Cancer Strategy, we will never catch up with better performing countries.”

Some of the reasons Ireland is so far behind include:

• A shortage of consultants to open new trials, particularly in the areas of radiation oncology, surgical oncology and haematology;
• A shortage of nurses to run trials and provide enhanced monitoring to patients who are on them;
• An overall lack of investment in R&D in Ireland;
• Delays in approving trials here due to inadequate national guidelines and support processes for meeting the requirements of the EU’s GDPR Directive on data protection.

The Irish Cancer Society is urging Government to provide at least €20 million extra in 2025 for cancer research and services.

In relation to trials in particular, it is calling for:

• Ring-fenced, flexible, and sustained investment in clinical trials infrastructure and staffing.
• Protected time for consultants to work on trials.
• Funding for adequate research and support staff.
• Improved data protection and other regulatory processes to make it easier to open trials.
• Ensuring that clinical trial income from commercially funded studies can be directly invested back into local clinical trial operations, including funding clinical trials staff.

Averil Power concluded: “To date, the National Cancer strategy has been underfunded by €180million - leaving cancer patients waiting. Waiting for time-critical tests, waiting for essential treatment, waiting for clinical trials, and waiting for the support they need to rebuild their lives after cancer.  

“Budget 2025 must prioritise the National Cancer Strategy, with ringfenced new recurrent development funding for the National Cancer Control Programme of at least €20 million next year. It should also include a commitment to multiannual funding for the Strategy going forward, to enable effective planning for improvements in the coming years.”

ENDS