Endocrine and metabolic disease are among the top five study areas for clinical trials in Australia, with latest figures showing there have been 797 trials studying conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disease over the last decade.

In its latest report, the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry notes there were 341,000 participants in metabolic and endocrine-related clinical trials a year in the period 2006 and 2015,  making these the fifth most frequently investigated health issues after cancer (18% of trials),  mental health (12%) cardiovascular disease (10%) and musculoskeletal conditions (8%).

In 2015 there were 97 clinical trials recorded for endocrine and metabolic conditions, with more than 24,000 people participating in the trials.

The report also noted there had been  867 trials in the last decade investigating musculoskeletal conditions, some of which covered patients with osteoporosis.

Clinical trials assessed multiple interventions, most commonly drugs (47%) but the proportion of trial investigating drug therapies fell steadily from 57% in 2006 to 42% in 2015. Other interventions studied in clinical trials included medical devices (10%), surgery (4%) and preventive strategies (11%).

There was a decline in the proportion of clinical trials supported by industry funding from 46% in 2006 to 37% in 2015. However, industry continued to dominate overall funding of clinical trials, accounting for $930 million of the $1.1 billion spent every year on trials in Australia.

Government funding of $164 million was the second major source of funding for clinical trials. The proportion of non-commercial, non-government funding of trials had increased rapidly in recent years and now represented 60% of new trial registrations.

The report noted that Australia fared well in international comparisons, with over 10,000 clinical trials conducted and more than 5 million participants enrolled in the last decade, equivalent to than 1,000 trials and 500,000 participants each year.

“By conducting clinical trials in this country we enable Australians to access the best available health care options by capitalising on effective and efficient therapies,  reducing research waste and maximising value for money from the health care dollars invested,” concluded report author Professor John Simes,  director of the ANZCTR, and co-author Professor Lisa Askie, manager of the ANZCTR and head of the of the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney.