Korea’s Clinical Trial Approvals Up 10%, But Still Below Pandemic Peak

Gaining Favor As Study Location

South Korea’s clinical trial approvals rebounded in 2023, but remained lower than the peak levels in 2020-21 amid then robust R&D activity related to COVID-19. Last year's tally showed a mix of single-country and multinational trials and reflected the ongoing dominance of oncology in industry pipelines.

clinical trial
Four Major APAC Countries See Higher Than Average Rise In Clinical Study Approvals • Source: Shutterstock

South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) issued approvals for the conduct of 783 clinical trials over the course of 2023, up 10.1% from the previous year, led by an increase in work in oncology, CNS and gastrointestinal disorders.

However, the number was still below the peak of 842 in 2021 and 799 in 2020, amid the intense R&D activity at that time related to

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