HTA supports International Clinical Trials Day

News release from the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment

19 May 2006

The HTA programme supported International Clinical Trials Day, which took place on Saturday 20 May. The aim of the day was to raise awareness of the importance of clinical research and clinical trials, ultimately leading to improved clinical practice worldwide.

20 May 1747 was the date of the first recognised clinical trial, when James Lind started comparing six treatments for scurvy.

The HTA programme plays an important role in the funding of clinical trials, through its recently launched responsive stream of funding, as well as already established routes. 133 clinical trials have been funded to date, for information on the published clinical trials view the published projects page. The new mode looks to fund pragmatic clinical trials that will assess the effectiveness of technologies within the NHS, with a focus on clinical decision-making.

The development of HTA Clinical Trials directly supports the Department of Health's recently published Best Research for Best Health research strategy, and forms a key component of the new National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN) supported International Clinical Trials Day by organising forums with patients and the public across Europe , allowing discussion on transparency, patients' protection, information, education, and participation in clinical trials. For more information visit http://www.ecrin.org

For more information on International Clinical Trials Day visit the UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) at http://www.ukcrc.org/publications/news/2ndclinicaltrialsday.aspx

Notes:

  1. Pragmatic trials test whether an intervention is effective in clinical practice, balancing relevance of results in real life with reliability and accuracy in academic terms. Participants reflect the population for whom the treatment is intended and exclusion criteria are kept to a minimum, so the findings of these trials will translate directly into benefit for many patients.

  2. In tandem with the new pragmatic clinical trials funding, the HTA programme will continue to fund clinical trials as part of its commissioned funding stream. These trials are commissioned to meet identified needs for patients and the NHS and will be advertised via standard calls for proposals.

Notes for editors


  1. The HTA programme is a programme of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and produces high quality research information about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest of the NIHR programmes and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with more than 400 issues published to date. The journal’s 2007 Impact Factor (3.87) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk The HTA programme is coordinated by the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), based at the University of Southampton.
  2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility.  The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training.  Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Stockley, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: ns5@soton.ac.uk

Helen Nikandrou, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 584, Email: h.nikandrou@soton.ac.uk

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