A clinical trial is a research study that investigates how new drugs or devices work, collecting data to determine whether these experimental therapies are safe and effective. To do that, clinical trials in the UK have to meet certain standards, so that they can show that any new treatments reaching patients have been thoroughly tested.
Every medicine you’ve ever taken will have been through a clinical trial. These studies are vital for advancing our medical understanding, improving current treatment options, and finding medications for previously untreatable conditions. Without them, we wouldn’t have what today we consider to be basic medication, like painkillers or antibiotics.
People sign up for clinical trials for lots of different reasons. Some have a desire to help advance modern medicine, others are seeking an alternative treatment for themselves, while some are motivated by paid clinical trials and the reimbursement available for their time and travel expenses. With hundreds of studies running across the UK each year, there are opportunities to join a clinical trial near you, whatever your motivation.
The Different Phases of Clinical Trials
Clinical trials exist to research new approaches to treatment, helping us to better detect, treat, and prevent common illnesses.
Establishing whether an experimental treatment is safe and effective can take years, and medical studies typically have four phases:
- Phase 1: Involves a small group of up to around 100 healthy volunteers. It focuses on establishing whether there are severe side effects to a treatment, as well as the correct dosages.
- Phase 2: Features a larger group of around 100 to 300 volunteers with a specific condition. The goal of this phase is to determine whether a treatment works and any side effects it might cause.
- Phase 3: Explores the effects of the experimental treatment on a large group of up to 3000 volunteers, aiming to establish that the treatment is safe and works as expected. Researchers might compare established treatment with the new treatment in this phase.
- Phase 4: Takes place once a treatment has been approved and typically runs longer than the other phases to determine and monitor any long-term effects of a new treatment.
These phases are important and help researchers to build a clear picture of the impact of an experimental treatment before it is granted regulatory approval or licensed for NHS use.
If you are considering joining a clinical trial in the UK, it’s important to understand what phase of testing it is in. Any new devices, medicines, or care approaches that participants receive during a medical study in phases 1, 2, or 3 are highly experimental and won’t be available on the NHS yet. Some participants in later-stage trials may not be given the trial medication at all, and may instead receive the current standard treatment or a placebo, so that researchers can compare the effectiveness of the treatment they’re investigating against no treatment at all.
Strict ethics and regulatory rules govern clinical trials in the UK. All participants must receive full information about the trial before enrolling, and volunteers can leave the study at any time.
How Clinical Trials Work in the UK
UK clinical trials are highly regulated to ensure the safety of participants and the reliability of results. Each study must be approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before it starts, and reviewed by an independent Research Ethics Committee. This ensures that every trial meets both scientific and ethical standards.
Medical trials are conducted in various settings, including NHS hospitals, GP practices, universities, and specialized research clinics. One trial may be carried out across many different sites, which gives participants from all over the country a chance to join a clinical trial near them.
Wherever a study takes place, it will follow a similar process:
- A clinical trial will be designed by researchers and submitted for approval.
- Once approved, the trial operators will enlist a range of sites to help conduct the trial.
- These sites will find volunteers and invite them to take part.
- Each potential participant will receive detailed written information about the medical study and will be given an opportunity to ask questions. This is called informed consent.
- If they agree to take part, volunteers will attend regular, scheduled visits where doctors and other healthcare professionals will carry out health checks, administer treatment, take samples, and track symptoms, depending on the study.
- This data is collected throughout the study and will form a critical part of the analysis to determine whether the treatment is effective and can be regulated for wider use.
Who Can Take Part in Clinical Trials?
Not everyone can take part in every clinical trial. Each study will have a set of rules, called eligibility criteria, that define who can and can’t take part. These criteria are designed to keep participants safe.
Inclusion criteria are the characteristics researchers are looking for, and may include factors like age, gender, or medical history. For example, one study might need people aged over 18 with Type 2 diabetes, while another will be looking to recruit healthy volunteers with no medical conditions.
Exclusion criteria are the opposite and define who can’t take part. These make sure that the people admitted into the trial don’t have other health conditions that might interfere with the study or put them at risk, such as pregnancy or those taking certain medications.
Are There Paid Clinical Trials in the UK?
Whether volunteers are paid for clinical trials in the UK is a common question, and the answer depends on the type of study they’re participating in.
Most clinical trials pay reimbursement for participants’ time and travel expenses, covering any time they may need to take off work as well, so that they’re not out of pocket. Reimbursement for Phase 1 trials, which often carry higher risks and are more time-intensive for participants, may go beyond expenses.
Whether or not a clinical trial is paid has no bearing on its quality or safety. All studies are reviewed and approved by regulators and ethics committees to ensure participants are protected.
How to Find Clinical Trials Near Me
If you are interested in volunteering, there are a number of ways to find clinical trials to join. Be Part of Research is an NHS-run website and app that helps to match participants with UK clinical trials by condition or location. You can also ask your GP if there are any suitable local clinical trials.
Specialist research networks, like Velocity Clinical Research, operate dedicated research sites and often have multiple trials running at one time. You can see if any clinical trials near you are currently recruiting by submitting a quick content form to be matched with any relevant studies.
Getting Involved
Clinical trials are vital to advancing our medical understanding and developing new treatments. They make it possible to test new drugs and devices safely, ensuring that treatments are only available to patients once they have been proven effective and meet regulatory standards.
By volunteering to take part in clinical trials near you, you are helping to ensure that more people have access to effective treatments as and when they need them.
Start your search for UK clinical trials today.
