Body set up to increase numbers taking part in trials
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《英国医生杂志》
A new body was launched last week to get the NHS and industry working more closely together to increase the number of patients taking part in clinical trials.
The UK Clinical Research Collaboration will bring together key players to speed up the development of medicines in five areas—Alzheimer抯 disease, stroke, diabetes, mental health, and children抯 medicine.
Representatives from the NHS, industry, the Medical Research Council and other funding bodies, medical charities, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) will make up the new body.
Using the successful National Cancer Research Networks organisation as a model, the collaboration will use an initial ?4m ($44m; �36m) to set up similar research networks in the five new areas.
Like the cancer networks, the new networks will bring together clinical teams, primary care teams, the voluntary sector, and patients for larger, multicentre clinical trials.
The 34 cancer networks in England have already doubled the number of patients in clinical trials since the first began in 2001.
Health minister Lord Warner said that the body would "make sure the extra investment is used to develop treatments for some of the most common and debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer抯."
A Department of Health spokesperson added: "The main idea is if you can tap into the resources of the NHS—the 100 000 patients there that could take part in clinical trials—you will speed up the development of medicines from the research stage right through to licensing."
An extra ?m will also be available to fund additional research. The cash is part of a package announced in the Budget that will see annual funds for medical research increase by ?00m by 2008.
As well as coordinating existing research and funding, the collaboration will also identify gaps where more research is needed.
NICE said it was pleased to be part of the venture. Its clinical director, Professor Peter Littlejohns, said: "In producing clinical based guidelines, NICE is in a strong position to identify and prioritise gaps in clinical research. We hope to feed this information into the UKCRC."
Dr Liam O扵oole from the National Institute for Cancer Research has been appointed acting chief executive of the new body; Professor John Pattison, the director of research & development at the Department of Health, will be the chairman. Members of the public will also be represented, including people affected by the key conditions.(London Rebecca Coombes)
The UK Clinical Research Collaboration will bring together key players to speed up the development of medicines in five areas—Alzheimer抯 disease, stroke, diabetes, mental health, and children抯 medicine.
Representatives from the NHS, industry, the Medical Research Council and other funding bodies, medical charities, and the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) will make up the new body.
Using the successful National Cancer Research Networks organisation as a model, the collaboration will use an initial ?4m ($44m; �36m) to set up similar research networks in the five new areas.
Like the cancer networks, the new networks will bring together clinical teams, primary care teams, the voluntary sector, and patients for larger, multicentre clinical trials.
The 34 cancer networks in England have already doubled the number of patients in clinical trials since the first began in 2001.
Health minister Lord Warner said that the body would "make sure the extra investment is used to develop treatments for some of the most common and debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer抯."
A Department of Health spokesperson added: "The main idea is if you can tap into the resources of the NHS—the 100 000 patients there that could take part in clinical trials—you will speed up the development of medicines from the research stage right through to licensing."
An extra ?m will also be available to fund additional research. The cash is part of a package announced in the Budget that will see annual funds for medical research increase by ?00m by 2008.
As well as coordinating existing research and funding, the collaboration will also identify gaps where more research is needed.
NICE said it was pleased to be part of the venture. Its clinical director, Professor Peter Littlejohns, said: "In producing clinical based guidelines, NICE is in a strong position to identify and prioritise gaps in clinical research. We hope to feed this information into the UKCRC."
Dr Liam O扵oole from the National Institute for Cancer Research has been appointed acting chief executive of the new body; Professor John Pattison, the director of research & development at the Department of Health, will be the chairman. Members of the public will also be represented, including people affected by the key conditions.(London Rebecca Coombes)