Purpose of review Clinical trials are the backbone of evidence-based medicine. Numerous regulations and oversight mechanisms have been established to ensure ethical conduct and scientific rigor. Clinical trials often fail to represent the full spectrum of global patient populations. Many developing nations lack the infrastructure, funding, and regulatory resources needed to conduct robust clinical research, leaving their most prevalent diseases understudied. Recent findings Global participation in clinical trials remains highly unequal. Despite this unequal burden of disease, global funding does not reflect this reality, as most funding is allocated to developed nations. This underrepresentation is a significant global disparity, as research-driven solutions in these regions often have the potential to have a higher public health impact. Several barriers have been identified, including stringent sponsor requirements, insufficient regulatory infrastructure, limited clinical research training, and other cultural and systemic factors. Summary Strategies to address global trial disparities have been proposed, such as understanding cultural and socioeconomic barriers and streamlined guidelines to reduce operational obstacles without compromising the scientific quality of the trials. Ideally, governments, in partnership with industry, should develop long-term plans for the progressive development of research infrastructure, including educational programs and dedicated in-house monitoring teams.
Medina et al. (2026) studied this question.