Trends of clinical trials from 2014 to 2016 in South Korea

Mandatory registration of clinical trials in public registry can ensure the transparency of clinical trials. Public clinical trial registry of can provide current chronological and geographical distribution of clinical trial throughout the country. We used public clinical trial registry provided by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety to analyze current status of clinical trial from 2014 to 2016 in South Korea. The number of clinical trials in antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents area was the greatest, followed by cardiovascular system and antiinfectives for systemic use as a whole. From 2014 to 2016, overall number of clinical trials decreased while the number of phase I clinical trials increased. Seoul accounted for more than half number of clinical trials in Korea. Supports for clinical trials in non-metropolitan area needs to be considered.