 2023 was a big year for clinical trials. Following the announcement of the legislative changes to come and Lord O’Shaughnessy’s independent review into commercial clinical trials in the UK, expect to see an even busier 2024!
We round off this year reflecting on some of the recent work we’ve done to support, with a look ahead to January and February.
Strong support for diversity in research
Including a range of people in studies helps research teams better understand what the most effective treatment, device or care is for different groups.
In a new national survey we commissioned from YouGov, it’s clear that the wider UK population also think this is important. There was strong public support for diversity in health and social care research, with the majority of people (88%) saying it’s important to include a diverse mix of participants even if the research costs more money (70%) or takes more time (74%).
Diversity also impacts on confidence in research funded by the private sector, such as pharmaceutical companies, with over half (52%) saying they have more confidence in the findings if the study includes a diverse mix of participants.
The new survey followed publication of the Government’s response to the recommendations in the Lord O’Shaughnessy review into commercial clinical trials. The review made recommendations to increase the number of commercial clinical trials taking place in the UK. It also recommended research organisations make sure the participants in clinical trials are diverse.
 Want to know more?
Lord O’Shaughnessy review - see our news story following the government’s response to the review, which includes a round-up of work already underway
The new survey – find out more and discover what else the public told us in our news story and full report.
Increasing the diversity of participants in research – joint guidance with the MHRA
The HRA and MHRA Inclusion and Diversity Plan
Our joint work continues to develop a set of questions and supporting guidance for researchers to consider when they design clinical trials and clinical investigations. This will help make sure clinical research is designed to include people who could benefit from the findings, and that people underserved by research are not overlooked.
We’ve been working closely with a group of researchers, public contributors, industry representatives, research funders and Research Ethics Committee members to develop the questions, which will underpin an inclusion and diversity plan, and the supporting guidance. The drafts will go out for informal consultation in early 2024, providing the opportunity for the wider research community and the public to comment. We’ll share more details about the informal consultation with you in the New Year.
This is part of our work with the MHRA to develop guidance that will support the new UK clinical trials regulations. For more information about our diversity work and good practice resources and tools to support researchers, visit our dedicated webpage.
In other news...
Did you see?
You may be interested to read a pair of recent blogs written by our Director and Deputy Directors of Policy and Partnerships, Becky Purvis and Naho Yamazaki.
Becky reflects on work underway to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get involved in health and social care research, and Naho talks about how we’re supporting researchers to improve diversity in clinical trials.
Clinical trials best practice guide published
Launching today is the Clinical trials best practice guide, to help improve clinical trial setup processes in the UK.
Aimed at the NHS and industry, the new guide comes from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the Shelford Group and UK Research & Development (UKRD), who have worked with a group of NHS and industry representatives to offer practical advice for how study sites and sponsors can work together. The guide is live now and you can read it on the ABPI website.
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