Just 2.9% of people with cancer in Ireland joined an interventional clinical trial in 2025, less than half the 6% National Cancer Strategy target, Cancer Trials Ireland said on 6 November 2026. The target's deadline was 2020. The charity's new report estimates that a sample of trials saved the State €6.51 million in drug costs.
The figures come from Cancer Trials Ireland, a not-for-profit network that is seeking more State funding, and not from a Government report. The Department of Health's last key performance indicator report we could find, dated December 2023, gives no measured figure for this target. That gap in official data matters as much as the shortfall.
- Target: 6% of patients on cancer therapeutic clinical trials by 2020 (National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026, KPI 20).
- Latest figure: 2.9% on interventional trials in 2025, reported by Cancer Trials Ireland.
- Wider measure: 12.5% took part in cancer clinical research overall in 2025, including non-interventional studies, according to the charity's chief executive.
- Estimated value: €6.51 million in avoided drug costs from 38 trials involving 230 patients, September 2025 to August 2026. This is the charity's own estimate.
- Public willingness: 69% of the general public and 82% of people with cancer surveyed said they would take part in a trial.
What is the target and how far short is Ireland?
The Department of Health lists the measure as KPI 20 of the National Cancer Strategy: "Percentage of patients on cancer therapeutic clinical trials", with a target of 6% and a target date of 2020. When the strategy was published in 2017, Cancer Trials Ireland said it aimed to double participation from 3% to 6%.
RTÉ News reports chief executive Angela Clayton-Lea as saying that in 2025, 12.5% took part in cancer clinical research overall, including non-interventional studies, while 2.9% were enrolled on interventional trials, which she described as less than half the national target.
The charity's Pre-Budget Submission 2027 gives the same number in writing. It says the strategy "sets a KPI to enrol 6% of patients with cancer in interventional trials annually", and that the figure is "currently sitting at 2.9% (2025 data)".
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| National Cancer Strategy KPI 20 target, due 2020 (Department of Health) | 6% |
| Starting point quoted in 2017 (Cancer Trials Ireland) | 3% |
| Figure quoted in May 2026, year not stated (Cancer Trials Ireland) | 2.7% |
| Interventional trials, 2025 (Cancer Trials Ireland) | 2.9% |
| All cancer clinical research, 2025 (Angela Clayton-Lea, via RTÉ News) | 12.5% |
| Target Cancer Trials Ireland wants in the next strategy, in line with OECI accrual targets | 10% |
Why is the official picture incomplete?
The Department's KPI report of December 2023 shows no end-2023 percentage for this measure. A footnote says that "Issues pertaining to the establishment of the total numbers (and the %) of patients on cancer therapeutic clinical trials are being examined". It adds that the National Cancer Control Programme looked at clinical trial definitions in 2021, and at using the National Cancer Information System to collect the data.
The Irish Cancer Society's scorecard of October 2025 marks KPI 20 as "Target not met" and says "Only 3% of cancer patients participate in clinical trials". It also described the 2023 report as the latest available.
Definitions need care. The strategy's KPI says "therapeutic" trials, while the charity now reports "interventional" trials. In its new report, interventional covers regulated medicine and in vitro diagnostic studies as well as non-regulated work in radiotherapy, surgery, exercise and nutrition. So the 3% and 2.9% figures may not be like for like, and they should not be read as a precise trend.
We also could not find the 2.9% or 12.5% figures in the text of the new report itself. They come from the Pre-Budget Submission and the chief executive's statement. Neither document we read states the number of patients used as the denominator. For that reason we have not turned the gap into a count of patients.
How many patients actually took part?
The Value of Cancer Trials 2 report covers 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026. It lists 2,542 patients accrued to cancer trials, plus 1,396 participants in the Beau-RCSI Lung Health Check, which together make the 3,938 total reported by RTÉ News. It records 702 patients on interventional trials, of whom 423 were on investigational medicinal product (IMP) trials.
The report warns that figures for January to August 2026 are not yet fully validated and may vary slightly. Its 12-month period also differs from the calendar year behind the 2.9% figure, so the two should not be compared directly.
What does the report say trials are worth?
Trial sponsors commonly pay for a patient's medicines, scans and tests. The HSE does not carry those costs while the patient stays on the trial. Cancer Trials Ireland has estimated the value of that below.
| Estimate and basis | Amount |
|---|---|
| Avoided standard-of-care drug costs: 38 IMP trials, 230 patients | €6.51 million |
| Inward investment through investigational medicines: 20 of those 38 trials | €6.76 million |
| Possible hospital site fees: 423 IMP patients at an assumed €25,000 each | About €10.5 million |
These are modelled figures, and the report says so. It states that "There are significant limitations with this approach". Patients may leave a trial early, and the prices the HSE actually pays are confidential. Where Irish prices could not be found, the charity used NHS prices. The report says it identified no independently verified national average hospital fee per patient, so the €25,000 is an assumption. The report is self-published, and we saw no sign that it has been peer reviewed. It also supports the charity's own case for funding.
RTÉ News reports Professor Seamus O'Reilly, the charity's clinical lead, as describing Government funding for cancer trials as a true investment.
Is patient reluctance the problem?
The report argues that it is not. Nine principal investigators, interviewed by Ipsos B&A between August and October 2026, pointed to four main constraints: slow activation and approvals, limited protected time at sites, research staff shortages, and restrictive eligibility criteria. Some modern cancer studies were said to need 20 to 40 separate eligibility criteria. Interview findings from nine people are opinion, not measurement, but they give a consistent account.
The charity's survey backs this up. Of 1,000 members of the public, 69% said they would be willing to take part, up from 48% six years ago. Among people with cancer, the figure was 82%, although that group was only 91 people. Martin Sweeney, incoming chair of the charity's Patient Consultants Committee, writes in the report that "patients are not the barrier to greater clinical trial participation".
Geography also matters. The report says that "a willing, eligible patient cannot take part if no suitable study is open locally", and that this particularly affects patients in rural areas.
How does Ireland compare in Europe?
The report cites the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) for the wider trials picture, across all disease areas and not only cancer. Industry-sponsored trials opening in Ireland rose from 51 in 2024 to 73 in 2025. Ireland ranked 14th of 27 EU member states per capita in 2025, up from 18th in 2024. Between 2023 and 2025, 157 trials commenced here compared with 425 in Denmark. IPHA also found that Ireland had the longest interval of any EU member state between regulatory approval and first site readiness, at 213 days. We covered the IPHA trial numbers in our earlier report on rare disease medicines and clinical trial growth. Our public Ireland Clinical Trials Performance Index compares Ireland with ten similar European countries using ClinicalTrials.gov records.
The report also shows some movement at home. Cancer Trials Ireland says median site agreement turnaround fell from 73 days to 25.5 days between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. Over the same period, the median interval from ethics approval to site activation fell from 229 days to 156 days.
Who funds cancer trials, and what is being asked for?
RTÉ News reports that the charity is partly funded by the Health Research Board, the Irish Cancer Society and donations. Dr Claire Kilty, the Society's head of research, writes in the report that it gives €1 million a year and has renewed that for "the next three-plus years". She adds: "Charitable funding cannot do this alone."
In its Pre-Budget Submission 2027, Cancer Trials Ireland sought €1,121,586 in additional Government funding: a €250,000 fund to start work on the National Clinical Trials Oversight Group's recommendations, €71,586 for a site set-up specialist, and €800,000 for a national fund for optimisation trials. We did not find confirmation of whether any of this was granted.
Frequently asked questions
What is the National Cancer Strategy target for clinical trials?
KPI 20 sets a target of 6% of patients on cancer therapeutic clinical trials, with a target date of 2020.
What is the latest participation figure?
Cancer Trials Ireland reports 2.9% on interventional trials in 2025. Its chief executive puts participation in all cancer clinical research at 12.5% for the same year.
What is the difference between the two numbers?
Interventional trials test a treatment or other intervention. The wider figure also includes non-interventional studies, such as registry, translational, observational and survey research.
Does this mean thousands of patients are missing out?
We could not confirm a figure. The documents we read do not give the denominator, and not every patient would be eligible for a suitable trial. The report's interviewees said eligibility often limits participation more than willingness does.
I have cancer. Should I ask about a trial?
This article is not medical advice. Ask your oncology team whether a suitable trial is open for your cancer. Nobody should change or stop treatment without talking to their doctor or pharmacist. You can also browse cancer trials listed for Ireland on our public tracker.
Outlook
The National Cancer Strategy covers 2017 to 2026, and its successor has no published date in anything we could find. The Medical Independent reported on 16 August 2026 that the Department of Health told the Oireachtas health committee an independent review would soon begin, and that officials indicated the current strategy would be extended into next year. Cancer Trials Ireland wants the next strategy to include a costed plan and a 10% target.
The Clinical Trials Advisory Council, established in August 2026, is due to oversee the move to a National Clinical Trials Body by the third quarter of 2027. The National Clinical Trials Oversight Group has recommended mandatory trial performance metrics across the health service. The test to watch is whether the State itself begins to publish a measured participation figure. Priya Life Science will update this report if the Department of Health or the HSE does so.
Sources
- Cancer Trials Ireland, Value of Cancer Trials 2 (full report), November 2026
- Cancer Trials Ireland, Value of Cancer Trials 2 (launch page), 6 November 2026
- Cancer Trials Ireland, Pre-Budget Submission 2027, uploaded August 2026
- Department of Health, National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026: Key Performance Indicators, December 2023 (copy held by the HRB National Drugs Library)
- Irish Cancer Society, National Cancer Strategy scorecard, October 2025
- Cancer Trials Ireland, National Cancer Strategy, 5 July 2017
- Cancer Trials Ireland, International Clinical Trials Day: why cancer trials matter for patients in Ireland, May 2026
- RTÉ News, Dimitri O'Donnell, Cancer trials saved State €6.5m in drug costs - charity, 6 November 2026
- Medical Independent, Paul Mulholland, Time running out for new cancer strategy, 16 August 2026
Cover image: AI-generated illustration.
