UK cuts clinical trial setup time by third
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The United Kingdom government reduced the average time to prepare commercial clinical trials to 100 days, a 35% decrease from 153 days the previous year.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Office of Life Sciences reported this improvement exceeded their initial goal of keeping setup times under 150 days.
In the first quarter of the year, all 24 commercial trials recorded were established within the 150-day window, surpassing a 95% target set in last year’s Life Sciences Sector plan. These faster setup times resulted from reforms to the UK’s regulatory framework. Changes included combining ethical and regulatory reviews, creating fast-track options for low-risk studies, and using digital tools to speed up applications. Trials like those from Quell Therapeutics and Moderna have already benefited from this quicker process.
Health Innovation Minister James Frith stated that quicker trials offer patients “hope of a treatment that once seemed unimaginable.” Despite this progress, officials acknowledge that long setup times are only one factor hindering the UK’s position as a leading clinical research hub, and that patient recruitment and costs also require attention. Steve Bates, executive chair of the Office of Life Sciences, emphasized the need to maintain this momentum to attract life sciences investment and ensure wider access to research.
