Cancer trials in UK to be streamlined to bring treatments to patients quicker
Through the Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre (ECMC) Collaboration Agreement
Set up and delivery of UK cancer multi-centre clinical trials is expected to become more efficient and easier to get off the ground, thanks to a new agreement between UK cancer clinical trial centres.
The Experimental Cancer Medicines Centre (ECMC) Collaboration Agreement will improve the network’s ability to carry out early phase clinical cancer trials, boosting research and development in the UK and bringing innovative new treatments to patients sooner.
Clinical trials in the UK often face delays because of the variation in how they are set up in each centre. But under the new agreement, all 18 ECMC locations (Barts & Brighton, Belfast, Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dundee, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, London Imperial, London ICR, London Kings Health Partners, London UCL, Manchester, Newcastle, Oxford, Sheffield and Southampton) will do this in the same way and will work to the same standards – cutting paperwork and helping researchers work more collaboratively.
This is expected to help speed up approval of early phase clinical trials, making the UK a more attractive location for international pharmaceutical and life sciences companies. This means UK patients get access to innovative treatments sooner, the ECMC said.
The ECMC Network is a joint initiative between Cancer Research UK and the UK's four Health Departments. The centres help the pharmaceutical industry and academic funders develop cancer drugs in early phase clinical trials by bringing together teams of clinical experts.
Aoife Regan, Head of the ECMC Network, said: 'It’s essential for the UK to deliver clinical trials more efficiently if it is to build its reputation as a world leader in early phase clinical research. We already have some of the best early phase clinical trial researchers in the world and this agreement builds on that by setting new standards for the set up and delivery of clinical trials. By getting innovative treatments to cancer patients more quickly, we hope to build our international reputation and increase our ability to attract more companies to the UK.'
George Freeman MP, life sciences minister, added: 'Effective clinical trials ensure that patients can benefit from the world-leading medical research taking place across the country. The Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre Network shows how collaborative work between charities and the government is driving forward new cancer discoveries.'
More information about the ECMC trial harmonisation programme is available here.
