OBJECTIVES: Little is known about the economic contribution of industry-sponsored drug clinical trials (CTs) in large and diverse health systems. We estimated the provincial and nationwide economic contribution of industry-sponsored drug CTs in Canada.

METHODS: We used the Public Access to Aggregate Content of the ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT) database to include all industry-sponsored drug CTs that were conducted in Canada and were completed in 2016. We calculated the cost of drugs provided by the sponsors using the market price from the Alberta Drug Benefit List and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Pharmaceutical Prices database and adjusted for the drug price differences between Canada and the United States. The costs of clinical and administrative services were based on industry contracts. Values were reported in current Canadian dollar (CA$).

RESULTS: The sample included 394 CTs that were conducted in 2,039 facilities in Canada and provided services for 20,126 Canadian enrollees. Two-third of CTs (277/394) were non-cancer. Drug costs for a patient were CA$ 89,680 and were higher in cancer CTs (CA$ 216,876 vs. CA$ 65,274). The total economic value of industry-sponsored drug CTs was CA$ 2,093.7 million in 2016. Of these, drug costs accounted for the major portion (CA$ 1,804.9 million). Cancer and non-cancer drug CTs contributed CA$ 737.4 and CA$ 1,356.3 million, respectively. Ontario (CA$ 781.2 million) and Quebec (CA$ 757.5 million) had the highest economic values.

CONCLUSIONS: When they are valued using a market price method, the economic contribution of industry-sponsored drug CTs are substantial. Appropriate policy should be in place to foster industry investments in clinical research to advance both scientific and economic merits.