[Pharm-policy] Costs of Clinical Trials: $2 to $7 thousand per patient

[James Love]

Costs of Clinical Trials: $2 to $7 thousand per patient

Today (May 25,2000) I contacted a large commercial firm that runs
clinical trials on behalf of drug companies.  I was told the
costs of good clinical practice trials (the type used for US FDA
approval) were almost always in the range of $2,000 to $7,000
per patient.  Prices apparently are typically quoted in terms of "unit
costs," or US dollars per patient.

The median cost was estimated at $3,000 per patent.  The lower ($2k)
costs are for drugs like diabetes, and the higher end costs
($7k) were for products with complex research protocols, like some
oncology products.  Most AIDS trials were said to cost $3 to $4
thousand per patient.  

I was told that the costs of doing trials in the US or abroad are not
that much different.  The costs of staffing were lower in
developing countries, but the costs of communication were higher.  But
there are problems in getting US patients, particularly for
double blind placebo trials.  For that reason, many trials are done in
eastern Europe or in developing countries in the South. 
I was told that most HIV/AIDS trials are done in South Africa, where
there are lots of patients, and people are willing to
accept that they might be in a placebo group.

  Jamie

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James Love, Director           | http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology | mailto:love@cptech.org 
P.O. Box 19367                 | voice: 1.202.387.8030
Washington, DC 20036           | fax:   1.202.234.5176
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