The UK Clinical Trials situation is NUTS: unEthical, unScientific, unEconomic

Sir Iain Chalmers says that the current situation is indeed “nuts”—unethical, unscientific and uneconomic nuts

Clinical trials are the experimental foundation on which modern medicine is built. Trials also make a significant contribution to the UK economy and can provide patients with an important means of accessing the most exciting and innovative new treatments, before they reach the market.

Here you can browse the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report together with the Proceedings of the Committee.

Sir Iain Chalmers submitted this written evidence:

” 3.9 – I hope that the Science and Technology Committee will agree with Jeremy Paxman that the current situation is indeed “nuts”—unethical, unscientific and uneconomic nuts. “
” 3.10 – My efforts to prompt improvement in clinical trial transparency over most of the past 30 years have manifestly failed. However, it is becoming clear that Sense about Science’s recently launched public campaign (www.alltrials.net) and Ben Goldacre‘s bestselling book Bad Pharma may be “game changers”. For the first time in over 30 years I feel that there is reason to hope for substantive progress. I think that those who continue not to take under-reporting of research seriously will find themselves on the wrong side of history. I hope that the Committee will see to it that, after decades of inadequate action, something substantial will be done to deal with the current, indefensible situation. ”

Read:

• House of Commons, Science and Technology Committee, Written evidence submitted by Sir Iain Chalmers, February 2013
• Full PDF: House of Commons, Science and Technology Committee Clinical trials, Third Report of Session 2013–14, Report, 17 September 2013
• Full PDF: House of Commons, Science and Technology Committee, Clinical trials, Third Report of Session 2013–14, Additional written evidence, 17 September 2013

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• All Trials Registered, All Results Reported, why the AllTrials Campaign Matters: Join and Sign now
• Unfavourable Results from medical Trials are being withheld, MPs warn
• Pharma mobilising Patient Groups to lobby against Drugs Trials Data Transparency
• Why ALL data from ALL drug Trials MUST be released
• Why Researchers MUST publish ALL Results of Clinical Trials
• Our posts tagged AllTrials – Ben Goldacre – Big Pharma

Warnings of Three-Person IVF Risks

The move crosses a “crucial ethical line”

Concerns about the safety of a pioneering therapy to create babies with DNA from three people are raised by researchers in the UK and Australia.

The idea has also raised ethical concerns from groups concerned about the impact of altering human genetic inheritance.

Read Warning of three-person IVF ‘risks’
by James Gallagher, BBC News, 19 Sept 2013.

Related post: The UK Government considering #IVF Babies Creation with Three Genetic Parents.