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Scientists comment on the government announcing a boost to clinical trials as part of the 10 year health plan.
Dr Andrew Garret, Past President, Royal Statistical Society and Executive VP Scientific Operations, ICON Clinical Research, said:
“The UK often competes in a global marketplace for clinical trials and finding suitable patients remains the biggest challenge facing drug developers. Efforts to speed up the process in the UK are most welcome and will make the UK a more attractive place to include in global clinical trials. Other countries also recognise the need to reduce timelines and are working to reduce cycle times too. Contracting is often rate limiting and the efforts described to standardise contracts is tackling an important issue.
“It is important to be realistic in terms of what matching patients to clinical trials will mean in practice and to manage the public’s expectations here. Indeed, the Investigator will always be the person to determine if a consenting patient is eligible and can be safely enrolled in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials enrol healthy volunteers, such as certain vaccine trials, and matching will be simpler here.”
Professor Cath Mummery, Director, UK Dementia Trials Network, said:
“This news is most welcome and will match the world-leading expertise in medical science in the UK with the ability to deliver trials of innovative therapies. As a clinician I want the best treatments for my patients; this needs access to trials to be an integral part of clinical care. However, patients tell us it is hard to navigate the system, and as a result, most groups are under-represented in trials. Use of the NHS app for trial recruitment will improve equity of access and accelerate recruitment. This commitment from the government will change the game, democratising access and holding trusts accountable for ensuring research is truly embedded in clinical activities.”
Dr Beth Thompson, executive director of policy and partnerships at Wellcome, the UK’s largest non-governmental research funder, said:
“Combined with sustained investment, these actions will give a much needed boost to clinical trials, which are an essential way to improve patient care. Increasing the speed of trial set-up and stronger accountability for performance are important steps to ensure cutting-edge research becomes business as usual throughout the NHS and help it provide the very best care.”
Prof Sir Martin Landray, Chief Executive, Protas and Professor of Medicine & Epidemiology, Oxford Population Health, University of Oxford, said:
“It is good to see the government’s commitment to clinical trials. Timely and effective support for clinical trials is critical if we are to see new treatments developed for conditions that place a high burden on patients, their families, the NHS and wider society. Clinical trials are the way we determine which treatments work, how well, and for whom.
Clinical trials are critical to providing evidence-based health care and essential if we are to avoid wasting resources. But if we want an evidence-based NHS, we must have an NHS that helps generate that evidence. Without clinical trials, clinicians and patients cannot make informed choices.
The UK has many of the attributes needed to be a world-leader in this space. For example, during the pandemic the RECOVERY trial produced results that have saved hundreds of thousands of lives around the world. Other results that prevented hundreds of thousands of people receiving other treatments that were useless or even harmful.
For too long, the administrative and bureaucratic processes that surround clinical trials in the UK have been seen as slow, poorly coordinated and cumbersome. We must streamline those processes as matter of urgency – ensuring the highest quality of consistent and coordinated decision-making and maximising opportunities to assess the impact of promising new treatments.
We must be ambitious. It is not sufficient to be just a bit better than our neighbours. We must be truly transformative – to create the environment for inclusive, readily accessible clinical trials that maximise the use of data and technology, serve the interests of current and future patients, and which provide clear and compelling answers.
The NHS has a key role in embracing this opportunity. But we also need to think beyond the walls of hospitals and doctors’ surgeries. Now is the time for a new era of digitally enabled, community-based trials of preventive therapies to address the high burden of common physical and mental health conditions, readily accessible to patients and the public across the whole of the UK.
I am delighted to see this announcement from government and excited about the opportunities it could create.”
Professor Andrew Morris CBE PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:
“This announcement marks a significant commitment to strengthening the UK’s leadership in clinical research. The global clinical trials market is estimated to be worth at least $80 billion by 2030 and countries that can demonstrate speed, quality and cost will have a competitive edge. This commitment is very welcome as streamlined trial set-up times and enhanced public access through the NHS App will accelerate the translation of cutting-edge treatments from laboratory to bedside, directly benefiting patients whilst driving economic growth and ensuring policymakers have the evidence needed for informed healthcare decisions.
“The focus on improving participation from under-represented communities is important, though success will depend on earning trust and addressing the broader barriers to diverse participation. By embedding research throughout the NHS and making it accessible to all communities, we can ensure that medical innovation benefits reach every corner of society whilst strengthening the UK’s position as a hub for life sciences investment and discovery.”
Declared interests
Prof Sir Martin Landray: Protas is a UK-based not-for-profit organisation that enables smarter trials for better public health; www.protas.co.uk
The nature of this story means everyone quoted above could be perceived to have a stake in it. As such, our policy is not to ask for interests to be declared – instead, they are implicit in each person’s affiliation.