Overview of Clinical Trials in Glomerulonephritis

The aims of this study are to describe the characteristics of clinical trials in glomerulonephritis listed in ClinicalTrials.gov and examine trends in study design, trial phases, location of trial, funding sources, and primary purpose in the last 10 years. A survey was conducted of ongoing clinical trials in glomerulonephritis registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov website using the advanced search option from 1/1/2008 to 12/31/2017. All trials with the search words were included except observational studies. Almost 59% of the trials were randomized, 11% were quadruple-masked, 9.6% were double-masked, and 3.4% were triple-masked. Of the 352 eligible trials, 26.7% were phase 3 trials, 19% were phase 4, 32.3% were phase 2, and 8.2% were phase 1. Of the trials, 21% were multinational and 42% were multicenter studies. The average number of participants in all the trials was 80. Funding data have shown that industry and other funding sources have contributed more towards glomerulonephritis trials when compared to federal agencies. The primary purpose of majority of the trials was treatment (92%). Preventive trials were only 11, basic sciences 6, and diagnostic 4. The year 2017 had the most number of trials which is very promising. The majority of trials were randomized and focused on treatment is very reassuring. The fact that there were more trials funded by industry and university rather than federal agencies is concerning.