Dermatology Trials Surge as Asia-Pacific Region Sees Five-Fold Increase in Research Activity

More than 16,000 dermatology trials were either completed, ongoing, or planned at the end of 2025, according to GlobalData's clinical trial database. Trial starts have rocketed over the past decade, peaking over the past year.

By December 2025, the Asia-Pacific region had seen a nearly five-fold increase in dermatology trials compared to a decade earlier, and accounted for nearly 8,000 such trials overall, around the same quantity as North America and Europe combined. Sponsors have widened their footprint to match where disease burden is greatest, where investigator networks are deepening and where trial infrastructure has become more capable. For example dermatophytosis, a fungal infection, is expected to reach over 830 million infections by 2029, with the highest prevalence in India and China.

Dermatology spans chronic inflammatory disease, infection, wound healing, pigment disorders, hair loss and rare genetic conditions. Many programs are moving at the same time and at rapid speed, from small topical studies to complex, multi-country development plans.

Regulatory requirements differ across the FDA, the EMA and major Asia-Pacific authorities for various drug product types and disease indications. Dermatology brings its own unique challenges; endpoints are often visual and, therefore, vulnerable to variation in imaging methods, grading standards and assessor training. Dermatological disease may also look different across skin tones, with treatment response and adverse effects varying.

Visual endpoint assessments, critical to conditions like psoriasis and eczema, require meticulous consistency. Training protocols must ensure that investigators grade lesions uniformly across sites. With low accrual rates the key reason for trial suspensions, termination and withdrawals across dermatology research, sponsors must guarantee seamless flows of vital data if they are to expedite trials.

The FDA's modern, streamlined pathways, particularly for orphan drugs, can deliver faster approvals than Europe's more conservative approach to safety endpoints and long-term data. Asia-Pacific agencies vary widely due to multiple standalone authorities across multiple countries, though harmonization efforts are narrowing gaps. Sponsors must anticipate local data requirements early, design trials to enroll sufficient regional subpopulations, and engage regulators before pivotal studies commence.

Median enrolment time for Phase III dermatology trials is around 11 months according to GlobalData estimates, compared with close to one year in metabolic disorders, 13 months for central nervous system studies and 18 months for cardiovascular trials. Total trial periods show a similar advantage versus other major therapy areas.

There are currently 119 cell and gene therapy assets in development for 23 dermatological conditions, spanning discovery through pre-registration stages.