UK to boost clinical trial participation

The UK government will take steps to make sure patients are better informed of opportunities to participate in clinical trials, according to the country's health minister. Doctors in the UK "already have a duty to advise patients, in each patient's best interest, about all aspects of their treatment, including research," a UK Department of Health spokesperson told __The Scientist__ in an Email. But UK Secretary of State for Health linkurl:Alan Johnson,;http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page630

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share
The UK government will take steps to make sure patients are better informed of opportunities to participate in clinical trials, according to the country's health minister. Doctors in the UK "already have a duty to advise patients, in each patient's best interest, about all aspects of their treatment, including research," a UK Department of Health spokesperson told __The Scientist__ in an Email. But UK Secretary of State for Health linkurl:Alan Johnson,;http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page6309.asp said that the duty will be clearly laid out in a soon-to-be-released constitution for the country's health service. In a speech he gave yesterday (Jun 24), commemorating the 60th anniversary of the United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS), Johnson outlined plans to make sure patients are told of studies relevant to them and to and make sure information is shared between pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions and other research centers. "I want every patient in the NHS to have the right to take part in approved medical research that is appropriate for them, if they choose to," Johnson said at the summit, linkurl:according;http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=371664&NewsAreaID=2 to the UK Department of Health. "And to underline the paramount importance of research, we will set out in the forthcoming NHS constitution the core role that it plays at the heart of the NHS." The NHS constitution will be unveiled this Monday (Jun 30) in the House of Commons, where Parliament will review the document before it's publically released, according to the Email. The Department of Health spokesperson also wrote that the guideline to better inform British patients of clinical trials "will not be a formal rule" in the constitution. "We shall make it easier to use care records confidentially where necessary so that the NHS can identify patients who are suitable for a particular approved study; and then discuss it with them so that they can choose whether to take part." Concurrent with Johnson's speech, the NHS released a linkurl:report;http://www.nihr.ac.uk/files/pdfs/60%20years%20of%20research%20in%20the%20NHS%20benefiting%20patients%20final.pdf yesterday outlining the agency's pledge to enliven clinical trial participation. The report cites an almost $7 billion (USD) yearly pharmaceutical industry contribution to research and development in the UK - 40 percent of which goes towards clinical trials - and underscores the importance of collaboration between universities, government agencies, and pharma and biotech companies. It mentions the linkurl:UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/53962/ as a prime example of such a partnership.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Bob Grant

    From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

Enhancing Therapeutic Antibody Discovery with Cross-Platform Workflows

sartorius logo
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio