Characteristics of Clinical Trials Conducted in Jordan: A Systematic Review

Clinical trials play a pivotal role in advancing medicine. Unfortunately, the developing world is underrepresented in such trials. Describing the landscape of clinical trials conducted in low and low-middle income countries can pinpoint faults, highlight potential solutions, and allow benchmarking. This study describes the characteristics of the trials conducted in Jordan, a low middle income country and part of the developing world, by analyzing the records of clinical trials conducted in Jordan that are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. We found 484 records, of which 362 were interventional studies. The trials were concentrated in the capitol city Amman (74%). The first clinical trial record dates to the year 2002, and the numbers of trials witnessed a surge during the period from 2018 to 2022, mostly the institutionally led trials. About 80% of the trials were randomized, and 70% had parallel arms. The University of Jordan and Jordan University Hospital took the lead in the number of trials sponsored (78 trials, 22%), followed by Jordan University of Science and Technology and King Abdullah University Hospital (72 trials, 20%). Jordan’s clinical trial landscape has shown considerable growth in the last decade. However, to maintain such trends, we should aim to strengthen institutional support, enhance the collaboration between the different sectors, prioritize advanced trials, and focus on research related to the context of Jordan.