Paper
Completion-timing gaps are not cosmetic fields. They determine whether a mature CT.gov record can be placed on the reporting clock with confidence.
Which named sponsors most often leave older CT.gov study pages without actual primary completion or actual completion timing fields? We analysed 249,507 eligible older closed interventional studies from the March 29, 2026 full-registry snapshot. We defined a completion-timing gap as missing actual primary completion or missing actual completion among older closed studies, then ranked sponsors with at least 100 studies. Boehringer Ingelheim led the named-sponsor table at 930 studies, followed by National Cancer Institute at 601, Novartis Pharmaceuticals at 271, and EORTC at 166. Gynecologic Oncology Group had the highest large-sponsor completion-timing gap rate at 83.1 percent, while NETWORK reached 19.2 percent and NIH 17.2 percent as sponsor classes. Completion-timing gaps obscure when older studies truly finished, making the reporting window harder to read even before results, publications, or outcome text are evaluated. These counts reflect missing registry timing fields among older closed studies and do not by themselves establish concealment, intent, or legal breach alone.