Kate Shaw, Founder and CEO of Innovative Trials, a global company specializing in clinical trial patient recruitment, retention and engagement, has welcomed the announcement that Lord James O’Shaughnessy will lead an independent review into the UK commercial clinical trials landscape.

Monday 27th February 2023

The news comes after a report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) highlighted a 44% decline in industry clinical trials in the UK over the last five years.

Shaw said: “News of this review shines a much-needed spotlight on the issues affecting clinical research in the UK. Industry-sponsored trials have been in decline here for some time, which ultimately means patients are denied early access to new and potentially life-changing therapies. As a company focused on accelerating patient access to treatments through clinical research, we are adamant this cannot be allowed to happen. 

“The commissioning of this independent review by the UK government is a positive first step towards securing the future of the country’s life sciences sector and ensuring patients get the treatments they need at the earliest opportunity.” 

Shaw continued: “We need to understand why there has been such a monumental drop in the number of UK trials and hope Lord O’Shaughnessy will consult closely with the wider pharmaceutical industry to understand and address these issues. We would also like this review to consider how clinical trials can be developed and run more easily, quickly and cost-effectively to help make the UK an attractive proposition for companies, and the role of education in increasing awareness and understanding of clinical research, which will help boost patient recruitment and avoid costly delays.

“We are open to the possibility of contributing to the review where possible and look forward to the publication of its findings and recommendations later this year.”

 

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For more information, please contact Laura Gibson at Presence Media at +44 7771 933609 or [email protected]

Notes to editors

About Innovative Trials

Innovative Trials is a leading global clinical trial patient recruitment and retention company. With over 10 years’ experience, Innovative Trials deploys “boots-on-the-ground” patient recruitment experts in over 70 countries, addressing individual sites’ unique recruitment and retention challenges in local language. 

Innovative Trials has experience in more than 25 therapeutic areas across 90+ conditions working with some of the biggest global pharmaceuticals, Clinical Research Organizations (CROs) and biotech companies.

Innovative Trials was founded in 2010 by Kate Shaw and Dave Watkins after identifying a growing need for clinical trial patient recruitment support.

For more information, visit www.innovativetrials.com