Government announces £100m to help unlock cutting-edge treatments
United Kingdom
Today, (Thursday 12 December) the Government has announced £100 million of investment to set up 20 research hubs.
What will this investment look like?
These Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) will act as regional hubs for pioneering clinical trials, creating opportunities to test innovative new treatments with the latest equipment and technology.
They will be established in all four UK nations – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The ambition is that these will bring the latest treatments in clinical trials closer to patients.
Our expert commentary on what this means for people with blood cancer
Dr Rubina Ahmed, Director of Research, Policy and Services at Blood Cancer UK, said:
“Blood cancer survival is lagging behind countries of similar wealth and health, and our UK-wide blood cancer action plan sets out how improving access to clinical trials and innovative treatments for people with blood cancer is essential in closing this gap.
“On behalf of all those with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and all blood cancers we welcome the government’s investment of £100 million in public-private investment to establish 20 new Commercial Research Delivery Centres (CRDCs) across the UK.
“We’re encouraged by the plan to streamline regulatory processes, which aligns with recommendations in our action plan to remove barriers for investigator-led and commercially sponsored trials.
“We are particularly pleased to see a shift in clinical trials into the community setting with centres across all devolved nations. People with blood cancer living outside of larger cities are often less able to take part in trials or access advanced treatments. Increasing access to clinical trials not only means that more people will have the chance to benefit from the latest innovative treatments, but will be more representative and ultimately lead to more robust findings.
”While this announcement represents progress, the government and NHS needs to continue to work with industry, charities and other patient groups to ensure the promise of these new centres is fully realised. At Blood Cancer UK we remain committed to supporting clinical trials and are increasing our own investment in this space, ensuring no one is left behind in our mission to beat blood cancer.”
