District hospital makes global impact
District general hospitals have a vital role to play in delivering co
mmercial research. But since they often lack both resources and the confidence of the life-sciences industry,
they can struggle to make an impact. This is where the Clinical Research Network proves invaluable. Network support can help convince sponsors that smaller sites can make sizeable contributions to global trials. And that’s what brought Johnson & Johnson to Barnsley District General Hospital.
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APHINITY for industry supports global Sheffield success
Commercial clinical research is a highly competitive environment, so opening the first site and recruiting the first patient to a global study are significant challenges. The National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN) has recently achieved these goals for the first time through the APHINITY study. When you take into account the focus, size and profile of APHINITY, you gain a true understanding of the scale of their success.
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A fast and reliable set of wheels
Diabetes is predominantly treated in primary care, but this wasn’t always the case. In recent years management of the condition has moved from secondary care. This ‘shift’ presents a challenge for researchers who now have to find routes into general practice to find patients for their studies. This can be a time-consuming step in the research process; something that the life-sciences industry in particular cannot afford. North West London Diabetes Research Network is helping to overcome this by providing two ingredients that are vital to commercial research success - speed and reliability.
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METRIC recruitment measures-up
Over the last 25 years, rates of malignant melanoma in Britain have risen faster than any of the top ten cancers. During this time, research has struggled to develop a systemic treatment to improve survival rates, but the National Institute for Health Research Cancer Research Network (NCRN) is now supporting METRIC, a study that is part of a new wave of targeted therapies offering novel treatment opportunities to patients.
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Primary Care Research Network steps into the breach
Network turns around UK recruitment on Servier's global CLARIFY study
Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the UK’s biggest killer and the leading cause of death worldwide. Servier, the leading French independent pharmaceutical company, recently set out to recruit 2000 patients in the UK as part of a global study to increase the knowledge and understanding of the disease. When the study looked like it wasn’t going to make its recruitment target, the Primary Care Research Network (PCRN) stepped into the breach.
Increasing commerical research capacity
Successive government health policies, and more recently the Coalition Government’s Plan for Growth, emphasise the importance of retaining a profitable domestic life-sciences industry. Over recent years there has been substantial activity to improve the UK’s operational capability and effectiveness to deliver commercial research. County Durham and Tees Valley Comprehensive Local Research Network show us how they have been putting this work into practice locally.
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Benefits of the costing template
Bob Kilby, Senior Clinical Research Scientist at GSK explains the benefits of the Clinical Research Network's Costing Template for commercial life-sciences companies.
We have developed a set of Costing Templates for use by life-sciences companies. The templates help commercial enterprises to work out the cost of delivering a clinical study in the NHS, providing a transparent and consistent approach to costs across different NHS Trust.
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Primary challenge for diabetes research
Industry benefits from Network GP engagement
In the last five years, a great deal of diabetes treatment has moved from secondary to primary care. This shift in environment has brought a new challenge for researchers and sponsors alike: how do they recruit patients in GP surgeries when the majority of their contacts are based elsewhere?
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Network support helps new relationships blossom
Network growth increases recruitment opportunities for Industry
The Clinical Research Network is expanding, with the number of research sites in the NHS continuing to grow. This is positive news for society, with more patients getting the opportunity to access leading-edge techniques and treatments, and it’s also of huge benefi t to the Life-science Industry. With a broader range of locations to recruit from, Industry can reduce its reliance on established partners and use the Network’s match-making skills to couple them with new sites that can set-up on time and recruit the patients they need.
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Network support for medical technology companies
Lucy Pollock from med-tech company Medtronic explains how the Clinical Research Network is helping this area of Life-sciences
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Collaboration proves crucial to recruitment success
Clinical Studies Groups offer Industry invaluable expertise and support
For industry one of the biggest benefits of working with a Topic-specific Clinical Research Network is being able to tap into the expertise and support offered by Clinical Studies Groups (CSGs). One such CSG recently played an important role in the performance of an AstraZeneca sponsored study supported by the National Cancer Research Network NCRN). As a result, the study overcame unforseen obstacles and led the world in terms of recruitment.
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Industry study benefits from Network know-how
Patients benefit from Network impact
Children with chronic kidney disease will benefit from the results of an international clinical study led by a Manchester-based consultant working with the Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN).
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Network GUIDANCE helps study to meet recruitment targets
Primary Care Research Network guides diabetes study in the right direction
The primary care recruitment programme for the GUIDANCE study in the South East Midlands was largely structured around the movements of a mobile retinopathy screening clinic. When this clinic became temporarily unavailable, close collaboration between the study team and the Clinical Research Network meant the trial remained in a strong position to recruit to time and target.
