Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage collaboration between regulators, researchers and patients in order to improve clinical trial guidelines.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is developing new clinical trial legislation aimed at streamlining clinical trial approvals, enabling innovation, enhancing transparency, and promoting patient and public involvement in trials. The MHRA is considering how best to ensure that, unless required on an emergency basis, guidance to accompany the new legislation will be co-developed with relevant external experts and stakeholders, including patients and trial participant.

The Health Research Authority and the MHRA and have also made a commitment to collaborate with researchers and patients in developing the guidance that will accompany the new CT legislation.