An independent review of clinical trials by Lord James O’Shaughnessy is due to report imminently. Helen Jones looks at how taking trials into the heart of communities can play a pivotal role
World Clinical Trials Day on 20 May is a symbolic moment in the healthcare calendar – a time for the clinical research community to reflect on all that has been accomplished, thanks to trials and the people behind them. Remarkably, it dates back to 1747, when James Lind started what is often considered the first randomised clinical trial, aboard a ship.
Nearly 280 years later, World Clinical Trials Day carries a special resonance in 2023, as we await the outcome of the review by Lord O’Shaughnessy, the former Life Sciences and Innovation Minister, and a board member of Health Data Research UK. One cannot help but conclude that this is a crucial juncture to resolve key challenges in conducting commercial clinical trials across the UK, and to ultimately deliver the best possible results for patients
With the NHS continuing to face extreme capacity pressures, ongoing innovation will be critical to maintaining research momentum. In my view, the decentralisation of clinical trials, which was accelerated during COVID-19, must continue at pace, if we are to deliver on our future ambitions for transforming health outcomes
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