Renal Cell Carcinoma Drug Pipeline: 245 Assets by Phase

How many renal cell carcinoma drugs are in each phase of development?

Douglas Insights counts 21 renal cell carcinoma candidates in Phase III, 8.6% of the 245 assets in development; Phase II holds 44 and Phase I holds 180.

Phase I/II candidates sit in the Phase I row and Phase II/III candidates in the Phase II row, so each renal cell carcinoma asset appears in exactly one row. The 397 trials still recruiting or running carry 46% of the 855 registered trials in scope.

Which approved renal cell carcinoma medicines are still in trials?

3 medicines already on the market are still being tested in renal cell carcinoma Phase IV trials; Nivolumab has the most, with 143 registered trials.

Post-approval renal cell carcinoma trials test new doses, new patient groups and head-to-head comparisons. They set the standard of care that every candidate in development will be measured against, so the paid review profiles each one.

How many renal cell carcinoma trials are recruiting patients now?

207 renal cell carcinoma trials are recruiting patients and 49 more have not started recruiting yet, out of 855 interventional trials in scope; together they make up 30% of the trial base.

Terminated, suspended and withdrawn renal cell carcinoma trials stay in the trial base so that a stalled programme is visible, but a candidate whose only trials stopped is no longer counted as in development.

Which companies lead the renal cell carcinoma pipeline?

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC leads the renal cell carcinoma pipeline with 10 candidates; the top 5 sponsors hold 17% of the 245 assets, and 128 sponsors run at least one.

Industry sponsors lead 381 of the 855 renal cell carcinoma trials (45%); universities, hospitals and public funders lead the rest. A sponsor is credited with an asset when it is the lead sponsor on most of that asset's industry trials.

Which drug types and mechanisms dominate the renal cell carcinoma pipeline?

Mechanism and drug-type classification for the 245 renal cell carcinoma candidates is done by the research desk asset by asset, each with a cited source, and is published in the paid review together with the white-space map.

What renal cell carcinoma trial readouts are coming next?

19 renal cell carcinoma candidates in Phase II or later have a registered primary completion date in the next 12 months; the next three are below, each linked to its registry record.

Primary completion is the date a sponsor expects the last patient to finish the main measurement, so data usually follow within months. Dates marked estimated are the sponsor's own forecast on the registry and often move.

How many renal cell carcinoma readouts fall in each quarter?

40 renal cell carcinoma candidates in Phase II or later reach registered primary completion over the next eight quarters, with the most, 17, due in Q4 2027.

Each candidate is counted once, at its next readout. The paid catalyst calendar names every readout with its trial, sponsor and design, adds filings and regulatory decisions, and runs 24 months ahead.

Which countries host the most renal cell carcinoma trials?

United States hosts the most renal cell carcinoma trials, with sites in 554 of the 855 studies (65%); trials in scope run in 61 countries in all.

A multinational renal cell carcinoma trial is counted once in every country where it has a site, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Country spread shows where sponsors are building the evidence that regulators in each market will ask for.

Where are renal cell carcinoma drugs being tested?

554 of the 855 renal cell carcinoma trials (65%) have a site in the United States, 213 (25%) in Europe and 140 (16%) in China; 195 of the 245 candidates in development are tested in the US.

Each region's trials are the evidence its regulator will review: the FDA in the United States, the EMA (with the MHRA and Swissmedic) in Europe, the NMPA in China and the PMDA in Japan. A multinational renal cell carcinoma trial counts once in every region where it has a site, so the shares add up to more than 100%. A candidate tested only outside the US and Europe is often a licensing opportunity for sponsors in those markets.

What has changed in the renal cell carcinoma pipeline since the last update?

This is the first edition of the renal cell carcinoma pipeline count, dated 3 Oct 2026. The next refresh is due by 1 Jan 2027, and each refresh lists the assets that entered, advanced or dropped out.

How does Douglas Insights count the renal cell carcinoma pipeline?

Douglas Insights read 855 interventional trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov for the conditions "carcinoma, renal cell", "renal cell carcinoma" and updated since 3 Oct 2021, then grouped every drug or biologic named in them into 245 unique candidates.

1. Code names, generic names and brand names of the same molecule are merged into one candidate, and every merge is reviewed by the research desk.
2. A candidate counts when it has a trial that is recruiting, running, or completed in the last 24 months, and at least one industry-sponsored trial.
3. Its phase is the highest phase among those trials; placebo, standard-of-care and comparator arms are not candidates.
4. Each figure on this page is drawn from one frozen dataset that passes ten checks before release, and the owner approves every edition.

Read the full approach on the research methodology page, or browse other Pharmaceuticals research.

Frequently asked questions about the renal cell carcinoma pipeline

Research & citation

This review was researched, written and reviewed by the Douglas Insights Research Desk under the Douglas Insights editorial standards. Material errors are logged in the corrections log. No section is sponsored.

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