Phase II ranking
Top 10 Phase II clinical trial failure signals
A Phase II-focused ranking for finding repeated efficacy, futility, and safety stop signals before pivotal development.
Records with Phase II in the current dataset.
9% of Phase II stopped records.
Likely scientific stop-signal categories.
Phase II is where many clinical programs start to look real, but it is also where uncertainty is still high. A stopped Phase II study can point to weak efficacy, safety, enrollment, protocol design, sponsor reprioritization, or a trial that simply no longer answers the right question.
This page ranks interventions that appear repeatedly in Phase II stopped-trial records. It is designed for analysts who want to quickly identify where biological stop language appears, while still seeing total stopped-trial volume for context.
The ranking should not be read as a definitive list of failed drugs. It is a practical screening layer: find the pattern, open the NCT example, verify the stop language, and then decide whether the evidence is actually relevant.
Top Phase II interventions by stopped-trial signals
Ranked by likely biological failure signals first, then total stopped Phase II records in the current dataset.
| Rank | Name | Total stopped | Likely biological | Efficacy / safety | Example record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pembrolizumab8% biological-signal share | 98 | 8 | 5 efficacy/futility · 3 safety | NCT04955743Phase II · Yale University |
| 2 | Cyclophosphamide19% biological-signal share | 37 | 7 | 6 efficacy/futility · 1 safety | NCT04803201Phase II · Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology |
| 3 | Atezolizumab12% biological-signal share | 42 | 5 | 3 efficacy/futility · 2 safety | NCT04549428Phase II · Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland |
| 4 | Docetaxel14% biological-signal share | 35 | 5 | 2 efficacy/futility · 3 safety | NCT03329378Phase II · Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai |
| 5 | Gemcitabine16% biological-signal share | 32 | 5 | 3 efficacy/futility · 2 safety | NCT01834235Phase I · Precision Biologics, Inc |
| 6 | Hydroxychloroquine26% biological-signal share | 19 | 5 | 4 efficacy/futility · 1 safety | NCT02603146Phase II · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) |
| 7 | Nivolumab7% biological-signal share | 60 | 4 | 3 efficacy/futility · 1 safety | NCT04057365Phase II · Massachusetts General Hospital |
| 8 | Laboratory Biomarker Analysis15% biological-signal share | 27 | 4 | 3 efficacy/futility · 1 safety | NCT03384836Phase I · Roswell Park Cancer Institute |
| 9 | Everolimus17% biological-signal share | 24 | 4 | 2 efficacy/futility · 2 safety | NCT02539459Phase II · Fox Chase Cancer Center |
| 10 | cetuximab36% biological-signal share | 11 | 4 | 1 efficacy/futility · 3 safety | NCT00766142Phase II · Institut Bergonié |
How to read this ranking
The page includes records where the parsed phase list contains Phase II. Some registry records may include combined phases, so the ranking is a Phase II signal view rather than a strict single-phase-only list.
Likely biological signals are efficacy/futility and safety buckets. Other stopped records are kept in the denominator because they show public stop volume, but they should not be treated as scientific failure without source review.
Phase II evidence is especially context dependent. Biomarker selection, dose, endpoint choice, comparator, and patient population can change the meaning of a stop reason. The linked NCT example is included so the claim can be checked quickly.
Example source record
NCT04955743: Pembrolizumab and Lenvatinib in Patients With Brain Metastases From Melanoma or Renal Cell Carcinoma
EFFICACY/FUTILITY signal in Phase II, sponsored by Yale University.
Lack of activity in the drugs
Open trial detail →Example source record
NCT04803201: Testing the Addition of Duvelisib or CC-486 to the Usual Treatment for Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma
EFFICACY/FUTILITY signal in Phase II, sponsored by Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology.
Interim Analysis
Open trial detail →Example source record
NCT04549428: Atezolizumab Plus 8 Gy Single-fraction Radiotherapy for Advanced Oligoprogressive NSCLC
EFFICACY/FUTILITY signal in Phase II, sponsored by Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland.
Terminated for futility, as determined by an interim data analysis.
Open trial detail →