The UK’s clinical studies on cancer treatment have set gold standards, but until recently, the real benefits of a national health service have not been exploited fully in the clinical trials area.
In 2001, the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) set up the National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) to coordinate the UK’s unique healthcare system and improve the speed, quality and integration of research.
NCRN has already achieved its initial remit to double patient accrual into cancer clinical trials – 14 per cent of diagnosed cancer cases are now recruited into clinical trials in the UK.
Facilitating high-quality research
Networks have funds to appoint research nurses, data managers and trial clinicians.
Fast fact
14 per cent of diagnosed cancer cases are now recruited into clinical trials in the UK.
25 of the world’s top 100 medicines were discovered in the UK
UK attracts more foreign investment in the pharmaceuticals industry than any other European country.
The money also give access to support areas such as pharmacy, pathology, radiology, plus information systems and training, all of which are vital to high quality research.
Significantly, the cancer research networks now access the full capacity of NHS clinical trials services.
Building on success to date
Working closely with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the world’s largest independent cancer research organisation, and the UK pharmaceuticals and biotechnology sector, NCRN is helping to formulate an adoption process for industry-funded trials.
It is also addressing key stakeholders on clinical studies in children, a sensitive area of drug development.
UK clinical research environment
This brochure looks at the UK regulatory environment for clinical research and explores some of the reasons why undertaking clinical trials in the UK could benefit your business.
Meanwhile, the UK regulatory environment is changing rapidly for the better.
NCRN and UKCRC will work with the Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) to ease the process and improve the perception of approval and regulation in the UK
Applying findings to other diseases
The UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) is a partnership of organisations, including NCRN.
They share a goal of establishing the UK as a world leader in clinical research by harnessing the power of the NHS.
NCRN’s success has paved the way in demonstrating how this can be achieved with a managed research network approach that fully exploits NHS capacity.
UKCRC is now applying many of its findings across all disease areas.
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