Importance: The development of oncology drugs is expensive and beset by a high attrition rate. Analysis of the costs and causes of translational failure may help to reduce attrition and permit the more appropriate use of resources to reduce mortality from cancer.
Objective: To analyze the causes of failure and expenses incurred in clinical trials of novel oncology drugs, with the example of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitors, none of which was approved for use in oncology practice.
Design, setting, and participants: In this cross-sectional study, inhibitors of the IGF-1R and their clinical trials for use in oncology practice between January 1, 2000, and July 31, 2021, were identified by searching PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov. A proprietary commercial database was interrogated to provide expenses incurred in these trials. If data were not available, estimates were made of expenses using mean values from the proprietary database. A search revealed studies of the effects of IGF-1R inhibitors in preclinical in vivo assays, permitting calculation of the percentage of tumor growth inhibition. Archival data on the clinical trials of IGF-1R inhibitors and proprietary estimates of their expenses were examined, together with an analysis of preclinical data on IGF-1R inhibitors obtained from the published literature.
Main outcomes and measures: Expenses associated with research and development of IGF-1R inhibitors.
Results: Sixteen inhibitors of IGF-1R studied in 183 clinical trials were found. None of the trials, in a wide range of tumor types, showed efficacy permitting drug approval. More than 12 000 patients entered trials of IGF-1R inhibitors in oncology indications in 2003 to 2021. These trials incurred aggregate research and development expenses estimated at between $1.6 billion and $2.3 billion. Analysis of the results of preclinical in vivo assays of IGF-1R inhibitors that supported subsequent clinical investigations showed mixed activity and protocols that poorly reflected the treatment of advanced metastatic tumors in humans.
Conclusions and relevance: Failed drug development in oncology incurs substantial expense. At an industry level, an estimated $50 billion to $60 billion is spent annually on failed oncology trials. Improved target validation and more appropriate preclinical models are required to reduce attrition, with more attention to decision-making before launching clinical trials. A more appropriate use of resources may better reduce cancer mortality.