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Condition (MeSH)

Cystic Fibrosis

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1,574 trials for Cystic Fibrosis or a narrower condition beneath it. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has the most among industry and government lead sponsors, with 117.

MeSH D003550 Digestive System Diseases C06 C08 C16 Listed by Orphanet as a rare disease
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Phase 1 Phase 1 147 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 54 Phase 2 Phase 2 183 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 15 Phase 3 Phase 3 154 Phase 4 Phase 4 87 Not applicable Not applicable 428 Observational Observational 500 Phase 1 Phase 1 147 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 54 Phase 2 Phase 2 183 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 15 Phase 3 Phase 3 154 Phase 4 Phase 4 87 Not applicable Not applicable 428 Observational Observational 500

Trials per phase (log scale)

1 more section with rows

1,574 of the 1,574 trials are tagged with Cystic Fibrosis itself; the rest are tagged with a narrower condition beneath it.

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The PDF carries up to 50 rows of each section, where the page shows the first few, with the sources listed. Enter a work email and confirm it from the message we send, and the report follows by email.

When did Cystic Fibrosis trials start? (35)

Shown in this order: most recent first, 1990 onwards. 2026 is partial: trials registered with a 2026 start date so far, not a full year. 2 trials are registered to start in 2027 or later, and not listed here.

Trials over time, by phase

  • Phase 1
  • Phase 1/2
  • Phase 2
  • Phase 2/3
  • Phase 3
  • Phase 4
  • Not applicable
  • Observational

Top of scale: 94

1990: 1 trials (Observational 1) 1991: 1 trials (Observational 1) 1993: 1 trials (Phase 1 1) 1995: 7 trials (Observational 1, Phase 3 1, Phase 2 2, Phase 1 3) 1996: 6 trials (Observational 3, Not applicable 2, Phase 3 1) 1997: 2 trials (Not applicable 1, Phase 1 1) 1998: 2 trials (Observational 1, Not applicable 1) 1999: 6 trials (Observational 2, Not applicable 2, Phase 4 1, Phase 1 1) 2000: 5 trials (Phase 3 1, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 2) 2001: 21 trials (Observational 8, Not applicable 2, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 2, Phase 2 2, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 1) 2002: 5 trials (Not applicable 1, Phase 3 1, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 2) 2003: 17 trials (Observational 1, Not applicable 3, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 2, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 6, Phase 1/2 3) 2004: 22 trials (Observational 7, Not applicable 5, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 4, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 4) 2005: 26 trials (Observational 4, Not applicable 3, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 7, Phase 2 9, Phase 1 1) 2006: 47 trials (Observational 12, Not applicable 12, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 6, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 9) 2007: 44 trials (Observational 11, Not applicable 7, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 8, Phase 2 11, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 1) 2008: 71 trials (Observational 12, Not applicable 16, Phase 4 8, Phase 3 10, Phase 2 14, Phase 1/2 4, Phase 1 7) 2009: 60 trials (Observational 13, Not applicable 12, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 13, Phase 2 8, Phase 1 10) 2010: 64 trials (Observational 15, Not applicable 15, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 13, Phase 2 11, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 5) 2011: 55 trials (Observational 19, Not applicable 16, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 7, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 3) 2012: 65 trials (Observational 14, Not applicable 18, Phase 4 8, Phase 3 8, Phase 2 8, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 6) 2013: 71 trials (Observational 28, Not applicable 15, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 8, Phase 2 5, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 8) 2014: 72 trials (Observational 28, Not applicable 21, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 6, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 9) 2015: 91 trials (Observational 26, Not applicable 27, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 10, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 9, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 10) 2016: 86 trials (Observational 19, Not applicable 31, Phase 4 7, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 14, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 6) 2017: 84 trials (Observational 26, Not applicable 15, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 10, Phase 2 14, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 13) 2018: 85 trials (Observational 29, Not applicable 21, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 11, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 5, Phase 1/2 9, Phase 1 6) 2019: 92 trials (Observational 34, Not applicable 31, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 14, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 3) 2020: 74 trials (Observational 26, Not applicable 27, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 2, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 6) 2021: 94 trials (Observational 41, Not applicable 35, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 5, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 2) 2022: 68 trials (Observational 25, Not applicable 22, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 4, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 6) 2023: 68 trials (Observational 30, Not applicable 20, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 2, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 2, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 7) 2024: 62 trials (Observational 26, Not applicable 17, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 1, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 7, Phase 1/2 4, Phase 1 5) 2025: 48 trials (Observational 21, Not applicable 14, Phase 4 1, Phase 3 2, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 2, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 5)

Trials registered with a start date in each year, 1990 onward, stacked by phase (complete years only; the current partial year is in the table's notes). The table below lists the same counts, most recent years first.

Trials started per year
Year Trials started
2026 (partial year) 34
2025 48
2024 62
2023 68
2022 68
2021 94
2020 74
2019 92
2018 85
2017 84

Showing 10 of 35 earlier years.

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Forecast of the full-year count, planned starts included, not rows of this table: about 44 trials starting in 2026 and about 45 in 2027, the average of the 24 months through September, counted as registered and carried forward, with about 0.7 times the starts already registered for the rest of 2026 added. The rows of this table count trials registered so far with a start date in the year, planned starts included; the forecast looks ahead to the count for the whole year, so it is not the same measure. In backtests on conditions of this size, forecasts made part-way through the year were typically off by about 15 percent and ran about 1 percent high against the count later registered; forecasts made before the year began were off by about 26 percent and ran about 20 percent low against the count later registered. The part-way figures are from forecasts that used a multiple fitted only on earlier years. These figures rest on a few years of history (target years from 2018 to 2025, varying by figure), place each condition as it is mapped today rather than as it was then, and score against a count for the newest year that was still being revised. Only condition series were scored.

Prediction, not a registry value: median of 34 months from start to primary completion across 73 trials still running at the 2026-10-09 snapshot; registered median of 20 months across 1,130 trials with a primary completion typed Actual. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov / AACT (CTTI), public domain.

What phase are Cystic Fibrosis trials in? (9)

Shown in this order: phase order.

Show the trials by phase as a table
Trials by phase
Phase Trials
Phase 1 147
Phase 1/2 54
Phase 2 183
Phase 2/3 15
Phase 3 154
Phase 4 87
Not applicable 428
Observational 500
Expanded access 6

How many Cystic Fibrosis trials are recruiting? (10)

Shown in this order: the order a trial moves through, from not yet recruiting to unknown.

Trials by recruitment status
Status Trials
Not yet recruiting 27
Recruiting 122
Enrolling by invitation 9
Active, not recruiting 43
Completed 1,039

Showing 5 of 10 statuses.

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Status as registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Each trial is counted once.

Which lead sponsors run the most Cystic Fibrosis trials? (3)

Shown in this order: most trials first. Lead sponsors the registry classes as industry, NIH, US federal, other government or network. A hospital or university the registry files as government can appear here. Sponsors it classes as academic or other are shown on the full page, because that class cannot separate an institution from a named investigator.

Lead sponsors
Sponsor Trials
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated 117
Gilead Sciences 22
Novartis Pharmaceuticals 16

Which drugs are being tested for Cystic Fibrosis? (7)

Shown in this order: most trials first. One row per drug, matched to a single molecule under all its names, ranked by number of trials.

Drugs tested
Drug Trials
Ivacaftor 52
IVA 46
CREON 12
Lumacaftor 10
Ataluren 10

Showing 5 of 7 drugs.

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Interventions as named in the registry (8)

Shown in this order: most trials first.

Interventions as named in the registry
Drug Trials
tobramycin / TOBI 28
ELX/TEZ/IVA 23
TEZ/IVA 13
Exercise 12
1% Azithromycin 8

Showing 5 of 8 interventions.

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These are the names sponsors entered on ClinicalTrials.gov that we have not matched to a single molecule. Some are drugs under a brand or code name; others are procedures, doses or arm labels.

Which serious adverse events do Cystic Fibrosis trials report? (10)

Shown in this order: most subjects affected first. Subjects affected summed across trials, a cross-trial signal, not a rate.

Serious adverse events in this condition's trials
Adverse event Subjects affected Trials
Infective pulmonary exacerbation of cystic fibrosis 2,530 96
Haemoptysis 310 70
Cystic fibrosis lung 298 16
Cough 248 28
Lung disorder 191 10

Showing 5 of 10 adverse events.

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Which publications cover Cystic Fibrosis? (1,837)

Shown in this order: major-topic papers first, then newest, then most linked to trials.

Publications
Publication Journal Year Major topic
Safety, feasibility and efficacy of exercise as an airway clearance technique in cystic fibrosis: a randomised pilot feasibility trial. Thorax 2026 Yes
Effect of elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor on bronchial dilatations in adolescents with cystic fibrosis: a multicentre prospective observational study. The Lancet. Respiratory medicine 2026 Yes
<u>Y</u>oga <u>O</u>utcomes <u>G</u>et <u>A</u>ssessed in <u>C</u>ystic <u>F</u>ibrosis (YOGA-CF): protocol of a multicentre interventional randomised controlled clinical trial-investigating effects of a 12-week yoga intervention for adults with cystic fibrosis. BMJ open respiratory research 2026 Yes
Exploring Exercise as Airway Clearance in Cystic Fibrosis: A Qualitative Study From the ExACT-CF Feasibility Trial. Pediatric pulmonology 2026 Yes
Longitudinal Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Changes in Lung Morphology and Perfusion in Children with Cystic Fibrosis from Infancy through Adolescence. Annals of the American Thoracic Society 2025 Yes

Showing 5 of 1,837 publications.

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Prevalence (186)

Shown in this order: jurisdiction, then disease name. Orphanet observation for the mapped ORPHA concept; the mapping relation column says whether that concept is exactly this condition or broader or narrower.

Prevalence
Orphanet disease Type Class Geography Jurisdiction Mapping relation
Cystic fibrosis Prevalence at birth 1-5 / 10 000 United Kingdom GB Exact
Cystic fibrosis Point prevalence 1-5 / 10 000 United Kingdom GB Exact
Cystic fibrosis Point prevalence 1-5 / 10 000 United Kingdom GB Unspecified
Cystic fibrosis Point prevalence 1-5 / 10 000 United Kingdom GB Exact
Cystic fibrosis Prevalence at birth 1-5 / 10 000 United Kingdom GB Unspecified

Showing 5 of 186 prevalence observations.

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Rare-disease identity (2)

Shown in this order: exact, broader, narrower, other.

Rare-disease identity
Orphanet disease ORPHA code Relation Source
Cystic fibrosis 586 Exact Orphanet Rare Disease Ontology (ORDO)
Cystic fibrosis 586 Exact Orphadata Science knowledge files, Product 1

Not on this page

Not measured: delivery record.

Checked, with nothing recorded for this condition: sub-conditions in mesh.

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