Does ClinicalTrials.gov include failed clinical trials? Yes, and federal rules keep those records public permanently. This guide covers the law behind that permanence, decodes the status words patients misread most, and walks through a real terminated Phase 3 record.
TLDR: ClinicalTrials.gov keeps failed studies permanently. Federal law requires applicable trials to register within 21 days of first enrollment and to submit results, and a separate provision bars sponsors from deleting what they already posted. Terminated, Withdrawn, and Suspended each mean something specific, and a required why study stopped entry explains the halt. Filtering a registry search to Recruiting shows only the survivors. Banking adipose tissue does not guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit in any study described here.
Important Disclaimer: Save My Fat is a tissue preservation connector and does not provide FDA-approved treatments or cures. The registry records discussed below describe investigational research, and Save My Fat does not run trials, screen patients, or guarantee eligibility, access, or clinical benefit. Adipose tissue and stromal vascular fraction remain investigational and are not FDA approved. This article is provided for educational purposes only, and readers should consult their own licensed healthcare professionals before acting on anything found on a registry page.
Patients researching cell therapy usually start the same way. They open ClinicalTrials.gov, type a condition, click the Recruiting filter, and read what comes back. The list looks encouraging, because every study on screen is open and enrolling.
That list is incomplete by design. The filter removed every study that stopped early, missed its endpoint, or never enrolled anyone. Those records still exist, one click away, and often carry the most useful information available.
Does ClinicalTrials.gov Include Failed Clinical Trials?
The registry answers this on its own About ClinicalTrials.gov page, verbatim: “Information about each study is permanently available in the database, even after the study ends.” That permanence is legal, not editorial. The chain starts with the FDA Amendments Act of 2007, whose Section 801 added Section 402(j) to the Public Health Service Act, codified at 42 U.S.C. 282(j).
NIH and HHS published the final rule, “Clinical Trials Registration and Results Information Submission,” on September 21, 2016 at 81 FR 64982. It took effect January 18, 2017, carried an April 18, 2017 compliance date, and sits at 42 CFR Part 11. Registration is due within 21 days of enrolling the first participant, and results generally within one year after primary completion.
Note the author. NIH and HHS wrote that rule, not FDA, and these clinical trial results reporting requirements sit in Title 42.
The Provision That Keeps a Failed Record From Disappearing
Registration alone would not preserve failures, since a sponsor could overwrite a collapsed study with something tidier. 42 CFR 11.64 closes that door, because 11.64(a)(4)(ii) requires prior registration and results information to be retained and remain publicly available. Updates add to a record and never subtract.
Two companion duties matter as much. Status changes must post within 30 calendar days, so a stopped study cannot sit labeled as recruiting. And a why study stopped entry is required whenever a study is suspended, terminated, or withdrawn. That makes the registry a working failed Phase 3 clinical trials database.
How to Read Clinical Trial Results Status Without Guessing
Eight status words carry most of the meaning on a registry page, and several get misread predictably. The definitions below come verbatim from the ClinicalTrials.gov glossary. Read the middle column first, then the third.
| Status | Definition, verbatim from the ClinicalTrials.gov glossary | Common misreading |
|---|---|---|
| Recruiting | “The study is currently recruiting participants.” | That enrolling means it works |
| Not yet recruiting | “The study has not started recruiting participants.” | That a start date is a promise |
| Active, not recruiting | “The study is ongoing, and participants are receiving an intervention or being examined, but potential participants are not currently being recruited or enrolled.” | That you can still enroll |
| Completed | “The study has ended normally, and participants are no longer being examined or treated (that is, the last participant’s last visit has occurred).” | That completed means successful |
| Suspended | “The study has stopped early but may start again.” | That the study is finished |
| Terminated | “The study has stopped early and will not start again. Participants are no longer being examined or treated.” | That stopping always means harm |
| Withdrawn | “The study stopped early, before enrolling its first participant.” | That data exists to review |
| Unknown | “A study on ClinicalTrials.gov whose last known status was recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting but that has passed its completion date, and the status has not been last verified within the past 2 years.” | That something is being hidden |
The clinical trial terminated versus completed status distinction trips up the most readers. Terminated means a study stopped early and will not restart, while Completed means it ran its course. Neither reports a result. The trial phase definitions cover what Phase 3 itself requires.
A Terminated Phase 3, Read Line by Line
NCT04371393 was a Phase 3 trial of mesenchymal stromal cells in moderate to severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome, run by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai with Mesoblast and NHLBI. It enrolled 223 participants at 21 United States sites, testing remestemcel-L against placebo. Status: Terminated.
The field most readers skip is why study stopped, which reads, verbatim: “At 3d interim analysis, randomization, but not follow-up, was halted by the DSMB due to low predictive probability of achieving postulated mortality benefit (pre-specified 42.5% relative mortality reduction) were the trial to complete randomization.”
An independent monitoring board judged the trial unlikely to reach its mortality target and halted new randomization while follow-up continued. Remestemcel-L was later approved on December 18, 2024 as RYONCIL, the first FDA-approved mesenchymal stromal cell therapy, for steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease in pediatric patients 2 months of age and older.
Why a Recruiting Filter Gives You a Distorted Picture
Filtering to Recruiting returns only studies alive right now. Every trial that stopped early, failed to enroll, or finished without a signal disappears before you see it. That is survivorship bias, and it inflates optimism. A condition with eleven terminated trials and two recruiting ones looks, through the filter, like a field with two promising studies. Compare any shortlist against active adipose MSC trials.
The fix is simple. Search with no status filter and read the stopped records first. On any record, scroll past the summary to the status history, the why study stopped field, actual versus estimated enrollment, and the results section. See also this guide to finding legitimate trials.
Unknown Means Stale, Not Secret
Unknown applies when a study’s last known status was recruiting, not yet recruiting, or active not recruiting, its completion date has passed, and nobody verified the status within two years. NCT06002841 shows the pattern. This Phase 1/Phase 2 study of mesenchymal cell derived extracellular vesicles, sponsored by Brazil’s D’Or Institute for Research and Education, carries a status of Unknown, with a last known status of Not yet recruiting, last verified August 2023.
Completed Does Not Mean the Trial Worked
Completed is a conduct label, not a result. A study can enroll fully, run cleanly, finish on schedule, and still report that its primary endpoint was not met. ADIPOA2, registered as NCT02838069, is the clearest adipose example. It tested autologous adipose-derived MSCs, culture expanded, as a single intra-articular knee injection at two dose levels against placebo in mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. Registry status: Completed. Results posted: none.
Pers and colleagues reported in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases in December 2025 that the injection “did not significantly improve pain and function,” with the placebo arm showing a numerically higher responder rate. The evidence is preliminary, no adipose-derived product is FDA approved for osteoarthritis, and a licensed physician should interpret the published ADIPOA2 results with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ClinicalTrials.gov show trials that failed or were discontinued?
Yes. The About page states that information about each study is permanently available in the database, even after the study ends. Terminated, Withdrawn, and Suspended studies stay searchable, and 42 CFR 11.64(a)(4)(ii) requires prior registration and results information to remain publicly available.
What do terminated, withdrawn, and suspended mean on the registry?
Terminated means the study stopped early and will not start again. Withdrawn means it stopped before enrolling its first participant, so no data exists. Suspended means it stopped early but may start again. All three require a why study stopped entry with the explanation.
Are negative or failed trial results required to be reported?
Applicable trials must generally submit results within one year after the primary completion date under 42 CFR Part 11, whether or not the findings were favorable. Compliance is uneven, so when the registry is silent, look for a peer-reviewed publication instead.
How can patients tell if a trial succeeded or failed by reading the registry page?
Often they cannot from the status line alone, because status describes conduct rather than outcome. Look at the results section, the why study stopped field on any halted study, actual versus estimated enrollment, and any linked publications before concluding anything.
What does an Unknown status actually tell me about a study?
That the record went stale, nothing more. Unknown applies when the last known status was recruiting, not yet recruiting, or active not recruiting, the completion date has passed, and nobody verified the status within two years. Never treat it as open.
Why does a failed trial still have scientific value?
Because it narrows the field. A halted study documents which dose, route, population, or endpoint did not work, which keeps the next team from repeating it. NCT04371393 stopped randomization early, yet the same agent was later approved for a pediatric indication.
Key Takeaways
Failed trials stay on ClinicalTrials.gov permanently, and that permanence is a legal requirement rather than an editorial choice. FDAAA 2007 Section 801 added PHS Act Section 402(j), and the NIH and HHS final rule at 42 CFR Part 11 requires registration within 21 days of first enrollment and results generally within one year of primary completion.
Section 11.64(a)(4)(ii) keeps prior information publicly available, status changes must post within 30 calendar days, and suspended, terminated, or withdrawn studies must carry a why study stopped entry. Read that field first on any halted record. Terminated and Completed both describe conduct rather than result, and Unknown means a stale record rather than a hidden one. Never treat a Recruiting-only search as the whole evidence base. Banking adipose tissue does not establish eligibility, access, or clinical benefit.
Save My Fat operates as a tissue preservation service, not a medical practice or treatment provider. Stem cell and regenerative medicine regulations vary by state, including specific informed-consent and disclosure requirements in Florida, Utah, and Nevada governing tissue and stem cell services. Banking adipose tissue does not connect patients to any treatment pathway, and any future use depends on FDA regulatory status, physician guidance, and the availability of approved or investigational pathways at that time.
Patients comparing preservation programs can review pricing, and questions go to our contact page.
Save My Fat partners with L2 Bio for laboratory processing and storage.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or legal advice. Legal and medical review including neurology and neurosurgery input is required before publication. Please consult your neurologist or neurosurgeon before making any decisions about banking, treatment, or research participation.
About the author: Oscar Tellez is the founder and CEO of Save My Fat. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and Health Promotion from Florida Atlantic University. He has spent more than a decade in the regenerative medicine industry across product distribution, laboratory and vendor relationships, and provider training. He is not a licensed clinician, and this article is educational, not medical advice.
Related guide: adipose stem cell trials.
