KFSH ran 48% of Saudi Arabia's registered clinical trials in early 2025

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre said it handled nearly half of Saudi Arabia’s registered clinical trials in the first half of 2025 as its centralized research infrastructure expanded. The hospital is set to highlight the model at a healthcare summit in New York on Sept. 14, 2026.

Why it matters: - King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre's research engine is becoming a major part of Saudi Arabia's clinical-trial capacity. - Clinical trials are the gatekeepers for new medicines, devices and procedures before they enter routine care. - Stronger trial infrastructure can speed patient access to advanced therapies while improving safety, ethics and data quality.

What happened: - KFSH conducted 48% of all clinical trials registered in Saudi Arabia during the first half of 2025. - The hospital recorded 104 active trials and 80 new studies during the same period. - KFSH said a specialist workforce supported the work from study design through delivery to patients. - The hospital plans to discuss the model at the C3 US NYC Davos of Healthcare™ Summit 2026 in New York City on Sept. 14.

The details: - KFSH established its centralized Clinical Trials service in 2020. - The service covers feasibility assessment, trial activation, operations and completion. - The operating model includes investigators, research nurses, pharmacists, coordinators, data specialists and regulatory and ethics teams. - The infrastructure also manages patient recruitment, investigational medicines, data quality, safety reporting, ethics and regulatory requirements. - The hospital said the service helps investigators work with patients, sponsors and international research partners. - The 2025 trials covered cancer, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune and musculoskeletal conditions, dermatology, gastroenterology, liver disease, and endocrine and metabolic disorders. - KFSH said this breadth gives patients with complex conditions access to emerging therapies. - One example was the first patient treated in a Phase I trial of genetically engineered CAR-T cells manufactured locally for relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia. - The hospital said the trial linked local scientific capability, biomanufacturing and specialized clinical care in one translational pathway.

Between the lines: - KFSH is positioning clinical trials as core national infrastructure, not just a research side function. - Centralized trial management can make it easier to join multinational studies while maintaining ethics and regulatory standards. - The hospital's message is that AI, biotechnology, genomics and advanced therapeutics need clinical-trial systems as much as they need laboratory innovation. - The scale of KFSH's research output also reinforces Saudi Arabia's effort to build deeper domestic capability in life sciences.

What's next: - KFSH will make its case for the role of clinical-trial infrastructure at the New York summit on Sept. 14. - The hospital is likely to keep expanding study volume as its centralized research model matures. - Continued growth could strengthen Saudi Arabia's role in regional and international clinical research.

The bottom line: - KFSH is using a centralized research model to turn clinical trials into a strategic strength for Saudi Arabia, not just a hospital function.