India overtakes Iran in clinical trial initiations outside North America and Europe in Q2 2025

China maintains its place as the most popular country for clinical trials outside North America and Europe for Q2 2025. However, India knocked Iran out of second place with the most clinical trials initiated in the rest of the world (ROW), according to a report by GlobalData.

GlobalData’s latest report, “Q2 2025 Clinical Trials: CRO, Sponsor & Country Winners,” reveals that Iran’s clinical trials have been affected, with 348 trials initiated in Q2 compared to India with 944, as the conflict between Israel, the US, and Iran significantly escalated in the second quarter.

Kathryn Kinch, Senior Pharma Product Manager, GlobalData, comments, “AstraZeneca led among large- and mega-cap sponsors of drug trials. Oncology trials dominated the landscape, making up the largest share of new trials, with solid tumours as the most studied indication and pain leading in central nervous system research.”

On a global scale, oncology was the leading therapeutic area of focus. 1,674 oncology-related clinical trials were either launched or scheduled to commence in Q2 2025. Following closely behind, central nervous system (CNS) diseases accounted for 1,521 trials, reflecting a robust commitment to addressing complex neurological challenges. This quarter did see a slight increase in both oncology and CNS trials compared to the same quarter the previous year, where 1,637 and 1,429 trials were recorded, respectively.

Within oncology, solid tumours dominated the landscape with 1,360 trials, while pain management emerged as the most studied indication in the CNS category, boasting 772 trials.

The report also identifies the top 10 trial sites in North America, Europe, and the rest of the world based on the number of trials initiated.

The CRO Activity and Intel report is published on a quarterly basis. The data presented in this report reflects the database as of July 10, 2025.