Medical research charities should fund more trials

Editor—Arguably clinical trials are the most important basis for evidence based medicine. So why are more such investigations not funded in the United Kingdom?

Both in 1999 and 2002 we sent a custom made questionnaire to all medicine charities listed in the Association of Medical Research Charities Handbook 2001, inquiring about the level of funding for clinical trials.¹ Sixty two forms that could be evaluated were returned in 1999 and 60 in 2002, response rates of 62% (1999) and 55% (2002), respectively.²

The question, “Do you fund clinical trials,” was answered with a straight “No” in 35 (1999) and 29 (2002) instances. In 1999, the responding charities spent a total of £3 114 396 ($4 900 000; €4 800 000) for support of clinical trials. In 2002, the corresponding figure was £7 924 689. The percentages of the total research budget spent on clinical trials were 2.3% (1999) and 5.0% (2002).

These results imply that, relative to their importance for evidence based medicine, the commitment to clinical trials by medical research charities in the United Kingdom remains small.