Participate

The impact of trial participation

Clinical trials are vital for the development of new, medicines — but they rely upon volunteers to succeed. Here you’ll learn more about our clinical trials, what it’s like to participate, and how you may be able to help improve treatment options for patients.


What is a clinical trial?

Before a new treatment can be prescribed to a patient, it goes through quite the journey. It starts in the laboratory, with pre-clinical trials where scientists carefully study the potential new drug. If the results of these pre-clinical studies are promising, the investigational medicine begins the next stage of the process, where its effects are studied in people.

These volunteers (sometimes called participants) may receive the specific study treatment(s), a placebo, or no study treatment at all, and may complete various assessments and study clinic visits. Trials follow a carefully designed research plan called a protocol, which has been reviewed and approved by both the local medicines regulatory authorities and typically by an Ethics Committee of independent medical professionals and specialists to protect participants’ safety.

Read the transcript

(Rosamund Round): What we're striving for as an industry is for the study population to be representative of the patient population, both from an ethical perspective, it's the right thing to do, we need to be inclusive, but also from kind of a practical, scientific, medical perspective, making sure that the drug is ultimately being tested in people that will receive the medication in the end.

(Xoli Belgrave): It's about hearing the patient's voice, what the patient needs, removing barriers or help working with patients and with sites to remove barriers to participation for those patients if they choose to participate. And just creating a space where the only reason somebody doesn't go into a clinical trial isn't because they don't know that it exists. Isn't because they've got misconceptions about what it is or isn't, because they live in the wrong place and they can't afford to be in a clinical trial, but really, because they have chosen not to. To me, that should be the only barrier, is choice.

(Rosamund Round): We've heard from patients about 50% of the challenge being in a study is practical and only 50% is medical. So if we can adjust things to make it easier for people with practical perspective, whilst also working with sponsors to understand some of the challenges for patients and support them to make protocols that are still scientifically viable, but also meeting the needs of patients and making their lives easier, I think it's a win for everybody.

(Xoli Belgrave): If we can listen to the patients upfront and know that the patients are saying that this study is one that they can commit to end to end, then I think that adds a lot of value as well in the clinical trials management process. So, there's a lot, there's a lot there. But I think the main things are really the design piece of it, the education around clinical trial overall, the access and, you know, just really making sure that clinical trials are something that people can do from start to finish. And only the patients can tell us that.

(Rosamund Round): We also have a Global Patient Advisory Council, which consists of around 50 patients across the world with various different diseases. When we have a new tool or a service, we talk to them about it. We ask them, what have we got right? What have we got wrong, what have we missed? And they are very, very honest about what they want to see. We include caregivers as well. We hear they're often forgotten, and it can be a real challenge to support a loved one in a trial. A lot those practical considerations. I think just partnering with patients in that way from different disease areas, from different countries, understanding local nuances as well as some of those things that all patients experience day to day means that we can build this rich, full, comprehensive program to address patient engagement as an organization. It just adds so much value.

Interested in participating?

Healthy volunteers

If you’re a healthy volunteer, you play a vital role in Phase I trials, helping pave the way for new treatments.

Learn more


Patient volunteers

If you’re a patient with a medical condition, you can learn more about the clinical trial process and potential benefits of participation.

Learn more