On 26th May 2023, the government published a report on the findings of an independent review investigating the challenges facing commercial clinical trials in the UK. The review, led by Lord O’Shaughnessy, involved extensive engagement with pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, and patient groups.

The report highlights the UK’s pre-eminent position in research and its capability in commercial trials, but finds that the UK is quickly falling behind in an increasingly competitive global landscape, dropping from 4th to 10th place in number of trials initiated since 2017/18. In response to these findings, the review recommends 26 actions for the government, focused around eight critical themes:

1. Slow and bureaucratic clinical trial set-up and approval processes
2. Lack of transparency and data about commercial trials
3. No accountability for under-performance in clinical trials
4. Research is not prioritised by or within the NHS
5. No incentives for clinicians to be part of commercial research
6. Research conversations between clinicians and patients are rare
7. NHS’s vast data assets are not leveraged well for clinical trials
8. Over-reliance on hospitals

The review book ends the 26 recommendations with a call for for accountability on existing goals and ambitious service levels in future.

Our latest snapshot provides a summary of the conclusions of this review:

Click here to access the full report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commercial-clinical-trials-in-the-uk-the-lord-oshaughnessy-review/commercial-clinical-trials-in-the-uk-the-lord-oshaughnessy-review-final-report