Patient Enrollment: Clinical Trial Recruitment Progress

Patient enrollment measures the number of participants targeted or actually enrolled in a clinical study.

ClinicalTrials.gov defines enrollment as the estimated target number or actual total number of participants enrolled. Screening alone does not necessarily count as enrollment.

Why enrollment matters

Enrollment pace can affect:

• trial completion timing;
• data-readout timing;
• clinical spending;
• competitive positioning; and
• the risk of protocol changes.

A sponsor can have a scientifically promising study but still face delays if recruitment is slower than expected.

Investor interpretation

Look for:

• target enrollment;
• actual enrollment;
• number of active sites;
• geographic expansion;
• inclusion and exclusion criteria;
• disease prevalence; and
• competing trials recruiting the same patients.

Source:

• ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Definitions

Enrollment is a trial-execution measure, not evidence that the treatment is effective.

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