Impact of clinical trials on the adoption of new drugs within a university hospital.

To assess the influence that clinical trials may have on the introduction of new drugs into prescribing routines, the adoption of drugs has been studied in a university hospital in the Netherlands. A significant relation was found between the testing of semi-innovative drugs in clinical trials in the hospital and the introduction of these drugs into general use in the same hospital. No such relationship was found for innovative drugs. Employment in clinical trials only affected the frequency of adoption of semi-innovative drugs. It did not influence the quantity of their use once they had been adopted. The idea that the stimulating effect of clinical trials on the adoption of semi-innovative drugs is only due to acceleration of the adoption process was not confirmed. These findings support the idea that clinical trials can lower the barriers for adoption of semi-innovative drugs.