According to a report from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the UK is taking longer to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic than its European peers.
The pandemic has significantly impacted the type of clinical trials conducted, and how these are designed and delivered. However, it has also highlighted the value of clinical trials, and research is critical to global recovery, as well as preparing for the possibility of future pandemics, according to Dr Jennifer Harris, Head of Research Policy at ABPI.
The pandemic also dealt a low blow to research into other conditions, such as cancer and cardio-metabolic disease, the impact varying depending on the impact of the pandemic on individual nations and their healthcare systems.
Dr Harris said: “The Government’s UK-wide vision for clinical research delivery puts the NHS and patients front and centre, with the aim to rebuild post-pandemic and create an ecosystem which is globally competitive – one which delivers for UK patients now and in the future. What matters now is the UK’s ability to translate these commitments into action and demonstrable change on the ground.”
The ABPI report encourages that the UK can make a recovery if it adopts the approaches taken to combat COVID-19 – including regulatory flexibilities, digital and remote approaches, and innovative design and delivery models – and ensures that clinical research is embedded into the NHS.
The UK emerged as a major world force in COVID-19 studies, running 68 trials that positions the country third in the world rankings after the US and Brazil. However, enrolment for human trials in other diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, waned significantly.
The report highlights that, prior to the pandemic, the UK demonstrated positive performance in patient recruitment. In 2019, the UK increased its share of patients recruited to global clinical trials, overtaking Italy and equaling Canada with a 2.8% share. The impact of COVID-19, which has brought on limited capacity in the NHS, is putting the UK’s ability to create new ways of working to the test.
This slump in enrolment echoed throughout the world, but the UK is recovering at a slower pace than some other countries in Europe, such as Spain and Italy, who were also shaken by the pandemic.
