Clinical trials are now a key indicator of a country’s attractiveness in biomedical research. They determine early patient access to innovation while also attracting major investments from the pharmaceutical industry.
Yet in recent years, one observation has become increasingly clear: Spain appears to be overtaking France in industrial clinical trials, even though France benefits from a highly regarded hospital system and strong scientific expertise.
Why does Spain attract more industrial clinical trials than France? Several structural factors help explain this trend.
Clinical Trials: Evidence Confirmed by Data
Data published by the French pharmaceutical industry association Leem and professional organizations involved in clinical research confirm this evolution.
According to recent analyses of industrial clinical trials, Spain now ranks ahead of France in Europe in terms of participation.
Statistics show that:
- Spain participates in 65% of industrial clinical trials in Europe
- Germany participates in 54%
- France participates in 51%
This situation reflects a worrying stagnation for France, while Europe itself is losing ground to global competitors such as the United States and China. The gap is not enormous, but it has remained consistent over several years in the field of industrial clinical trials.
Shorter Regulatory Timelines for Clinical Trials in Spain
One of the main factors explaining why Spain leads France in industrial clinical trials relates to regulatory timelines.
Historically, Spain has successfully implemented:
- rapid centralized evaluations
- efficient coordination between regulatory authorities and ethics committees
- shorter approval timelines for industrial clinical trials
Even before the entry into force of the European Clinical Trials Regulation (EU) No. 536/2014, Spanish procedures were already known to be more streamlined.
The European regulation aims precisely to harmonize and accelerate authorization procedures for industrial clinical trials across the European Union, in order to maintain Europe’s attractiveness for biomedical research.
With the introduction of the CTIS (Clinical Trial Information System) portal, national differences should progressively decrease. However, Spain still benefits from a strong organizational advantage in industrial clinical trials.
Hospitals Highly Structured to Attract Clinical Trials
Another key factor explaining why Spain attracts more industrial clinical trials lies in the organization of its investigational sites and hospitals.
Many Spanish hospitals have developed:
- dedicated clinical trial units
- highly professional clinical research teams
- well-structured patient recruitment platforms
Large Spanish hospital centers often operate as genuine clinical research hubs, capable of opening protocols rapidly and recruiting patients efficiently for industrial clinical trials.
For pharmaceutical sponsors, this capacity for rapid patient enrollment is a decisive factor when selecting countries for industrial clinical trials.
A Proactive National Strategy
Spain has also implemented a proactive national strategy to strengthen its attractiveness for industrial clinical trials.
The Spanish Medicines Agency (AEMPS) has developed several initiatives aimed at:
- simplifying administrative procedures
- supporting investigational sites
- strengthening the country’s attractiveness for pharmaceutical sponsors
This strategy has allowed Spain to become one of Europe’s leading hubs for industrial clinical trials, particularly in areas such as oncology and rare diseases.
France Remains a Major Player
Although Spain currently leads France in industrial clinical trials, France remains a major scientific power in biomedical research.
France still benefits from several strong assets:
- a dense network of university hospitals
- recognized expertise in certain therapeutic areas, particularly oncology and rare diseases
- a large number of highly active academic research teams
In several therapeutic fields, France remains among the most competitive countries globally.
French clinical research therefore continues to play an important role in the development of innovative medicines and therapies.
Toward Greater European Convergence
The implementation of European Regulation (EU) 536/2014 and the deployment of the CTIS portal should gradually harmonize authorization procedures for industrial clinical trials across the European Union.
The objective is clear: strengthen Europe’s attractiveness for industrial clinical trials in the face of growing competition from the United States and Asia.
In this evolving environment, competition between European countries may gradually give way to a more collaborative dynamic within the European clinical research ecosystem.
However, an important question remains:
Will France be able to regain momentum and re-establish itself as one of Europe’s leading countries for industrial clinical trials?
