We now design more drugs than we can test

Discovery got much better at producing candidates and the step that tests them did not.

Nearly four in ten adjuvant phase III oncology trials finish with less statistical power than their own design called for, and two thirds of trial starts now come from sponsors running their first or second study.

The scarce input stopped being the molecule. It is a credible answer about one, and the CRO selling you the trial has no reason to hand you that.