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Condition (MeSH)

Chronic Pain

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 3,097 trials for Chronic Pain or a narrower condition beneath it. VA Office of Research and Development has the most among industry and government lead sponsors, with 57.

MeSH D059350 Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms C23
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Phase 1 Phase 1 105 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 28 Phase 2 Phase 2 137 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 20 Phase 3 Phase 3 137 Phase 4 Phase 4 118 Not applicable Not applicable 1,821 Observational Observational 726 Phase 1 Phase 1 105 Phase 1/2 Phase 1/2 28 Phase 2 Phase 2 137 Phase 2/3 Phase 2/3 20 Phase 3 Phase 3 137 Phase 4 Phase 4 118 Not applicable Not applicable 1,821 Observational Observational 726

Trials per phase (log scale)

2 more sections with rows

3,097 of the 3,097 trials are tagged with Chronic Pain itself; the rest are tagged with a narrower condition beneath it.

Get the Chronic Pain report as a PDF

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 Chronic Pain trials start? (32)

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. 11 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
  • Other (Unknown)

Top of scale: 276

1992: 1 trials (Observational 1) 1996: 4 trials (Phase 4 2, Phase 3 2) 1997: 2 trials (Phase 4 1, Phase 2 1) 1998: 2 trials (Not applicable 1, Phase 2/3 1) 1999: 2 trials (Phase 3 2) 2000: 8 trials (Observational 1, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 5, Phase 1/2 1) 2001: 9 trials (Observational 1, Not applicable 5, Phase 3 2, Phase 2/3 1) 2002: 5 trials (Observational 1, Phase 3 4) 2003: 13 trials (Observational 2, Not applicable 1, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 4, Phase 1 2) 2004: 22 trials (Observational 3, Not applicable 3, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 7, Phase 1 1) 2005: 18 trials (Observational 2, Not applicable 4, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 2, Phase 2 5, Phase 1 2) 2006: 28 trials (Observational 4, Not applicable 11, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 4, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 3, Phase 1 3) 2007: 28 trials (Observational 5, Not applicable 6, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 7, Phase 2 4, Phase 1 3) 2008: 49 trials (Observational 19, Not applicable 13, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 8, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 2, Phase 1 2) 2009: 47 trials (Observational 13, Not applicable 12, Phase 4 3, Phase 3 8, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 5, Phase 1/2 3, Phase 1 2) 2010: 60 trials (Observational 12, Not applicable 18, Phase 4 9, Phase 3 6, Phase 2 8, Phase 1 7) 2011: 56 trials (Observational 14, Not applicable 26, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 3, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 4) 2012: 70 trials (Observational 18, Not applicable 26, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 9, Phase 2 8, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 2) 2013: 83 trials (Observational 16, Not applicable 41, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 7, Phase 2 9, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 3) 2014: 94 trials (Observational 20, Not applicable 53, Phase 4 11, Phase 3 2, Phase 2 2, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 5) 2015: 96 trials (Observational 27, Not applicable 47, Phase 4 4, Phase 3 8, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 5, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 2) 2016: 118 trials (Other 2, Observational 28, Not applicable 71, Phase 4 6, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 1, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 2) 2017: 132 trials (Observational 21, Not applicable 84, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 6, Phase 1 10) 2018: 200 trials (Observational 51, Not applicable 123, Phase 4 7, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 7, Phase 1 6) 2019: 212 trials (Observational 39, Not applicable 146, Phase 4 14, Phase 2 3, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 8) 2020: 197 trials (Observational 49, Not applicable 133, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 1, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 4, Phase 1 5) 2021: 265 trials (Observational 68, Not applicable 172, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 5, Phase 2/3 2, Phase 2 6, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 5) 2022: 254 trials (Observational 75, Not applicable 156, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 4, Phase 2/3 3, Phase 2 3, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 6) 2023: 276 trials (Observational 67, Not applicable 177, Phase 4 5, Phase 3 10, Phase 2/3 1, Phase 2 10, Phase 1/2 2, Phase 1 4) 2024: 248 trials (Observational 50, Not applicable 162, Phase 4 7, Phase 3 5, Phase 2 12, Phase 1/2 5, Phase 1 7) 2025: 250 trials (Observational 51, Not applicable 177, Phase 4 2, Phase 3 4, Phase 2 11, Phase 1/2 1, Phase 1 4)

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) 229
2025 250
2024 248
2023 276
2022 254
2021 265
2020 197
2019 212
2018 200
2017 132

Showing 10 of 32 earlier years.

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Forecast of the full-year count, planned starts included, not rows of this table: about 260 trials starting in 2026 and about 250 in 2027, the average of the 24 months through September, counted as registered and carried forward. 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 13 percent and ran about 12 percent low against the count later registered; forecasts made before the year began were off by about 19 percent and ran about 17 percent low against the count later registered, and had about the same error as repeating last year's count. 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 36 months from start to primary completion across 377 trials still running at the 2026-10-09 snapshot; registered median of 17 months across 1,909 trials with a primary completion typed Actual. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov / AACT (CTTI), public domain.

What phase are Chronic Pain trials in? (10)

Shown in this order: phase order.

Show the trials by phase as a table
Trials by phase
Phase Trials
Phase 1 105
Phase 1/2 28
Phase 2 137
Phase 2/3 20
Phase 3 137
Phase 4 118
Not applicable 1,821
Observational 726
Expanded access 3
Unknown 2

How many Chronic Pain trials are recruiting? (11)

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 171
Recruiting 383
Enrolling by invitation 38
Active, not recruiting 139
Available 1

Showing 5 of 11 statuses.

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

Which lead sponsors run the most Chronic Pain 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
VA Office of Research and Development 57
Boston Scientific Corporation 33
Abbott Medical Devices 19

Which drugs are being tested for Chronic Pain? (5)

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
PMI-150 (intranasal ketamine) 36
FENTANYL 16
Buprenorphine 12
Pregabalin 11
Duloxetine 11

Interventions as named in the registry (10)

Shown in this order: most trials first.

Interventions as named in the registry
Drug Trials
Treatment As Usual 26
Exercise 22
L:Lidocaine 18
Acupuncture 13
PO Morphine 13

Showing 5 of 10 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 Chronic Pain 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
Hospitalization 432 9
Hospitalizations 183 1
Pneumonia 105 35
Death 88 9
Severe 73 1

Showing 5 of 10 adverse events.

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Which publications cover Chronic Pain? (3,856)

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

Publications
Publication Journal Year Major topic
Associations between trunk mobility, pain, and quality of life in individuals with chronic low back pain treated with different therapeutic protocols: Potential clinical parameters. Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation 2026 Yes
Chronic pain is associated with sleep apnea severity but attenuated by intermittent hypoxemia in people using opioids. Pain 2026 Yes
Assessing racial/ethnic differences in sleep-pain relationships using intensive longitudinal modeling among Native Americans. Sleep 2026 Yes
Transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) in chronic pain patients: Effects on daily-reported symptoms. Anaesthesia, critical care & pain medicine 2026 Yes
Workplace-Based Physiotherapy of Elderly Care Workers With Nonspecific Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2026 Yes

Showing 5 of 3,856 publications.

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Not on this page

Not measured: delivery record.

Checked, with nothing recorded for this condition: prevalence, rare-disease identity, and sub-conditions in mesh.

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