Which countries run stem-cell trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Country distribution

A study with sites in several countries is counted once per country, taken from the location block of each registry record.

What the map means for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Registrations appear across East Asia and Europe in rheumatology departments. Commercial offers rarely specify refractoriness criteria, meaning they sell to a population that registered trials would not enrol.

Where recruitment is actually open

What travelling for a trial actually involves

Distance changes the risk calculus. Registered studies are designed around continuity of care, so a site will normally decline participants it cannot monitor — which is exactly the safeguard a commercial clinic does not apply.

Multi-country studies, named

Registered studies with sites in more than one country — the clearest evidence of collaboration rather than a single-centre series.

• NCT05003934 — Safety of Cultured Allogeneic Adult Umbilical Cord Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Intravenous Infusion for RA (Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina)
• NCT02378506 — Study to Assess the Immunogenicity, Safety, and Efficacy of High Capacity Process Etanercept in Rheumatoid Arthritis Sub (Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Poland)

Why trial geography is not a shortlist

The map is drawn by policy and money. Permissive or well-defined regulatory pathways attract registrations and large research budgets attract more still. None of that transfers to the private clinic advertising in the same city, which may operate under no comparable supervision.

Before treating geography as a shortlist, read the legality overview by country and what "best country" actually means here.

When these studies started

Registrations by start year since 2020: 2020 (2), 2021 (2), 2022 (2), 2023 (1), 2024 (2), 2025 (5), 2026 (1). Activity for this condition spans 1997 to 2026, which shows whether interest is growing, flat or past its peak.

Frequently asked

Which countries run stem-cell trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Sites are registered in 27 countries; the largest is United States (~41% of country mentions, 2026-08-29).

Does a country with many trials mean better treatment there?

It does not follow. A country can host many trials and still have an unregulated commercial sector selling something quite different to visitors.

Are trial sites and commercial clinics the same thing?

Rarely. Academic trial sites and the private clinics advertising to medical tourists are typically separate organisations with different oversight.

Registry and literature counts retrieved 2026-08-29 (ClinicalTrials.gov API v2; PubMed E-utilities). Registration or publication volume measures research activity, not effectiveness or approval. Educational information — not medical advice; verify product, indication, legal pathway and evidence with an independent qualified physician. Page generated 2026-08-29. See our editorial standards.