Clinical trials company warns against public panic in light of Oxford COVID-19 trial being halted

Clinical trials company warns against public panic in light of Oxford COVID-19 trial being halted

Wednesday 9 September 2020

Responding to the news that the Covid-19 vaccine trial being run by Oxford University in conjunction with AstraZeneca has been halted, Kate Shaw, CEO of Innovative Trials , a

clinical trials patient recruitment company, said it should not deter people from participating in clinical trials, either now or in the future.

Shaw said: “I wish the clinical trial participant in question a swift recovery, but it’s important to note that a temporary halt on research is not uncommon and does not

automatically mean a medicine is unsafe. Many treatments and vaccines can experience a pause during their development, even ones that are ultimately successful and brought to

market.

“This news highlights the need for greater public awareness of what clinical research involves in order to avoid any panic or negative perceptions of research in the face of

stories like this. As a company that specialises in clinical trial patient recruitment, we know how important it is for potential trial participants to have access to materials that are

created and presented in the right way for them to ensure they understand the content and have the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about research. We must go

further with this approach and disseminate information more widely to increase understanding amongst the general public.

Shaw added: “We must also remember that we cannot pin all of our hopes onto one trial; no one vaccine will be a ‘magic bullet’ that will protect all of us from Covid-19. We need

research to continue focusing on developing a number of treatments and vaccines. I hope today’s news will not deter individuals from signing up to the NHS’ Covid-19 vaccine

research registry to participate in upcoming vaccine trials, particularly people from BAME communities. Patient diversity in clinical trials has long been a challenge for the life

sciences sector, but with Covid-19 affecting these populations more seriously than others, it is more important than ever to address this imbalance.”

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For more information, please contact Laura Gibson at Presence Media on +44 7771 933609 or laura@presence-media