About this site

The Clinical Trials Toolkit was initially developed and launched in 2004 by the MRC and the Department of Health and Social Care to help clinical trialists and R&D managers understand the regulations and requirements for conducting trials. As the lead organisation for funding clinical trials, the NIHR has now taken over responsibility for the Clinical Trials Toolkit.

The new current version of the site was launched in late 2012. This was developed by the NIHR, in close collaboration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Health Research Authority (HRA), Medical Research Council (MRC) and other UK Clinical Research Collaboration (UKCRC) partners and stakeholders.

The site addresses the requirements of the current UK regulations. In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), protects and promotes public health and patient safety by ensuring that medicines, healthcare products and medical equipment meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, performance and effectiveness, and are used safely. If you remain unsure about how to ensure your trial meets the regulatory requirements, please contact the MHRA directly, using the contact details below:

Clinical Trial Helpline Tel: 020 3080 6456
Email: clintrialhelpline@mhra.gov.uk

 

Acknowledgements

The 2012 revision of the Clinical Trials Toolkit content was led by Tanya Symons (T Symons Associates Ltd), and coordinated by the NIHR.

The NIHR would like to thank all those who contributed both time and expertise to the revision work.

Lead updaters/ authors:

  • T Symons (T Symons Associates Ltd)
  • O Gupta (Mode Pharma)
  • Prof L Duley, A Erven and G Bumphrey (Nottingham CTU)
  • C Murphy and J Kelly (King’s CTU)
  • M Bucukoglu and P Dearie – ACCORD (NHS Lothian and the University of Edinburgh)
  • C Daffern (Warwick CTU)
  • R Macefield and A Lane (MRC ConDuCT Hub)
  • J C Hopewell (CTSU, University of Oxford)
  • M Palmer and C Counsell (R&D Forum)
  • M Ward, M O'Kane, J Wakelin-Smith and S Buchanan (MHRA CTU & GCP Inspectorate)
  • S Bourne and colleagues (HRA).

Organisations who contributed to the review:

  • The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust
  • The Institute of Cancer Research
  • Newcastle Clinical Trials Unit
  • Wales Cancer Trials Unit
  • Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit
  • Nottingham Clinical Trials Unit
  • UCLH/Royal Free/UCL Joint Research Office
  • Guy & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
  • North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre
  • Medicines for Children Research Network.

Feedback

We would welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we can improve the toolkit. Please help to keep the toolkit up-to-date by reporting any out-of-date content or broken links.