Scotland has a key role to play in clinical trials
Scientists and clinicians across Scotland and the rest of the UK rose to the challenge of discovering, developing and getting licenses for vaccines and treatments for Covid-19, and they did it in weeks and months rather than years and decades.
With 68 commercial Covid-19 clinical trials initiated in 2020 alone, the UK was only behind the United States and Brazil on the global trials leaderboard.
However, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s annual clinical research report shows the pandemic impacted research into many other diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
This all matters because funding for commercial clinical research in Scotland is inward investment to Scotland.
More importantly, clinical trials are good for patients. People on trials demonstrate better outcomes – even if they are in a control group that doesn’t get the new treatment.
Hundreds of medicines and treatments are in development, including a wave of precision medicines that address the genetic root causes of diseases.
Each will undergo extensive trials and Scotland is competing to be given the opportunity to enrol patients in these global studies.
To compete, Scotland needs to be able to unlock its healthcare data. Scotland has the data – lots of information is collected on every Scot throughout their life and health journey.
Now Scotland needs to create a national NHS data infrastructure that joins together all the anonymised patient data currently sitting in regional safe havens; while patients themselves need to be able to feed in their own information from their smartphones – all backed by the right privacy safeguards, security and regulation.
The rest is about people. First, making sure we have the right people with digital skills employed in the NHS to allow clinicians to focus on patients. Second, engaging the public so people can see and trust how their data can help them, and others, enjoy better health outcomes.
And third, Scotland’s government and NHS leaders need to drive all this forward at pace because Scotland can’t do this slowly when everyone else is doing it quickly.
Scotland’s business and enterprise minister, Ivan McKee, says the smart application of data could be worth £20 billion to Scotland’s economy.
And, as the economy benefits, so too will patients.
Partner Content in association with Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Scotland
Related posts
Interviews
Comment
Why innovation and marketing are the perfect partners to make changes that matter
With the rapid evolution of traditional marketing and the appearance of digital marketing, technology and innovation has become part of any marketer’s life without the need of working for a…
Transitioning to a four-day week – CEO’s vow to strike a healthier balance in the workplace
I came to Scotland nearly 20 years ago from Ireland, with no contacts but a lot of determination. While Ireland will always be my home, Scotland has given me amazing…
Women Lead: The female-led company championing intuitive working
Over the last two years, the pandemic forced a shift to more remote and flexible working practices. Whilst we might be seeing a “return to normal”, some companies are choosing…
Women Lead: My passion for young people to consider a career in digital
Twenty years ago, I stumbled across my career in digital marketing almost by accident. It was during my honours degree in marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University. I was on work…
Women Lead: Inclusive Silicon Valley cohort gives hope to entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds
Things are happening on the Scottish tech scene. Big and small initiatives are creating a fantastic ripple effect on the sector, bottom up and top down, thanks to the recommendations…
Women Lead: The story of an entrepreneurial scientist
I first arrived in Scotland over 20 years ago. I had £75 in my wallet and a scholarship offer to do a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Sometimes I…
Please mind the gap… or healthcare may fall
Imagine sharing a lengthy train journey with others. From beginning to end, imagine how often you might hear ‘mind the gap’ messages about embarking and disembarking safely. Picture how navigating…
Women Lead: My journey from Dragons’ Den to Silicon Valley
Following her appearance on Dragons’ Den, Sheila Hogan, serial entrepreneur, founder and chief executive of digital legacy vault, Biscuit Tin, shares her experience of her time in the Den and…