1. Clinical research in Hungary
Hungary is situated in the heart of Central Eastern Europe and has 10 million
inhabitants. Based on the data of the Hungarian Competent Authority (OGYÉI)
around 300 new studies are authorized every year and the number of new projects
has not changed in many years. Based on clinicaltrials.gov in total 2639trials started
so far in Hungary and currently there are 538 recruiting studies.
The country is well recognized as an advantageous location for conducting clinical
trials due to:
Favourable EU-harmonized legislation (European Clinical Trials Directive was
implemented in 2004),
Quality of human resources,
Data and equipment,
Centralized healthcare system,
Drug naive patients,
Higher incidence of certain disorders such as cardiovascular, pulmonary, oncological,
neurological, dermatological, infectious diseases,

2. No difficulty to travel to trial sites,
Faster patient recruitment and better patient retention due to higher motivation of
patients and investigators to be involved in clinical trials,
More attractive costs than in Western Europe and US with the greatest cost savings
in Hungary being gained from efficient enrollment, which helps cut overall drug
development costs.
Patient recruitment is usually three to four times faster than in Western sites.
Hungarian patients are highly motivated to participate in clinical trials because they
want to benefit from new, efficacious drugs that are not yet available to them.
Participation in clinical trials provides access to the most modern clinical centers, the
best physicians and a closer medical follow-up. Patients are increasingly more
interested in participating in clinical trials as they become more aware of the
opportunity for significantly better medical care. The doctor-patient relationship is
strong in Hungary and patients are happy to comply, not only to please the doctor but
also because they receive excellent medical care and free medications. Their
willingness to adhere to protocols and complete trials may also be a result of their
higher tolerance for inconvenience compared to patients in the U.S. and Western
Europe. People in Hungary have a very high literacy rate, which means they
understand clinical research, the informed consent form and the value of the study.
The bottom line: the dropout rate for clinical trials in Hungary is less than 5%,
compared to 20% in Western Europe, which results in more subjects per Euro spent.
Working in clinical research is considered prestigious in Hungary, which leads to a
high level of interest and exemplary qualifications among site staff. Unlike other
regions of the world, investigators are more personally involved in all study
procedures and CRAs are usually physicians or pharmacists; therefore, they are
capable of conducting very complex scientific protocols. This collaboration of highly
educated health care professionals results in exceptional adherence to study
schedules and GCP requirements, significantly fewer protocol deviations, lower
screen failures and lower drop-out rates. Data entry is typically accurate and well
organized, and investigators follow trial protocols strictly.
Healthcare salaries in Hungary are quite low compared to those in North America or
Western Europe, so an investigator’s fee represents a significant income for
Hungarian physicians. But money is not the only motivator. Participating in trials allow
physicians to administer the latest therapies and treat patients with products not yet
widely available in the country. It also offers opportunities for international networking
and publication and a sense of contributing to scientific progress and of being
associated with current clinical research.
The Hungarian government has set up a mid-term science, technology and
innovation strategy and life sciences and biotechnology have been chosen as
prioritised areas. In order to achieve these goals, the Hungarian government
operates a large number of direct and indirect incentives, some of which are explicitly
targeted at the biotech/pharma sector. Competitive grants are available for setting up
corporate R&D centres, creating university-industry co-operative research centres

3. while special, tailor-made incentive packages for research and training can be
negotiated in the case of investments exceeding EUR40m.
Contact LA Clinical Research Consulting for a more detailed discussion on how to
boost recruitment in your project in Hungary:
Phone: +36 209 380 158
E-mail: alorinczidr@gmail.com