The Government announced 20 new clinical hubs and new legislation to accelerate research into the next generation of treatments.
The new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) will be set up across all four nations of the UK and will be funded through £100 million of public-private investment from pharmaceutical companies.
They will act as regional hubs, giving patients greater access to cutting-edge treatments and clinical trials by supporting the rapid set-up of commercial studies.
By shifting clinical trials into community settings, those in under-served regions will be better able to participate in research. This will boost access to new treatments in the trial stage.
Alongside the centres, legislation has been laid to transform clinical trials in the UK by speeding up trial approvals while protecting patient safety.
It is the biggest overhaul of regulations in 20 years and will remove administrative red tape and streamline processes to get clinical trials up and running as quickly as possible.
The changes are being introduced by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Health Research Authority (HRA).
Health minister Baroness Gillian Merron said the ‘significant private investment in health research is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK’s leading research and life sciences sector’.
She said: ‘The health of the nation and health of the economy are inextricably linked; the new CRDCs will bolster the UK as a powerhouse for life sciences and med tech, driving economic growth.’
The funding is part of a wider £400 million joint public-private investment scheme – the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicine Pricing, Access and Growth (VPAG) Investment Programme.
It is a partnership between the government and the pharmaceutical industry to boost the global competitiveness of the UK life science sector and stimulate economic growth.
Professor Lucy Chappell, chief scientific adviser at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and CEO of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), said the effects of the new clinical hubs would be ‘felt right across the four nations’.
‘Clinical trials help improve lives. Boosting the NHS’s capacity to deliver commercial clinical research through these new Commercial Research Delivery Centres will support recruitment across all communities and bring innovative treatments to patients,’ she said.
The location of the new clinical research hubs across the UK
England
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
- Birmingham Womens’ and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- Barts Health NHS Trust
- University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
- Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
- The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
- Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust
Northern Ireland
- One Northern Ireland approach
Scotland
- NHS Lothian
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- NHS Tayside
- NHS Grampian
Wales
- One Wales approach
