UCB clinical trials policy

UCB is committed to providing the opportunity to patients to make informed decisions about participating in clinical trials.

UCB is committed to increasing transparency relating to the existence and results of sponsored clinical studies. In light of this, we commit to disclosing balanced and accurate information regarding our hypothesis-testing clinical studies, regardless of outcome, to ensure that physicians and patients have access to relevant information from clinical studies.Study Protocol ,A customized protocol is developed for each trial. This is a study plan, which is designed to answer specific research questions and has the safety of volunteers and patients in mind. Protocols determine, among other things, who is eligible to participate (inclusion and exclusion criteria), the drug tested and, if any, the comparator (another drug for the same indication or a placebo), the dosages, the kind of tests and their schedules, the trial duration.

Clinical investigators

Clinical investigators or medical researchers conduct clinical trials and follow the study protocol. They are usually doctors, nurses, pharmacists or other healthcare professionals. As per Good Clinical Practice the clinical investigator(s) will be qualified by education, training, and experience to assume responsibility for the proper conduct of the trial, will meet all the qualifications specified by the applicable regulatory requirement(s), and will provide evidence of such qualifications through up-to-date curriculum vitae and/or other relevant documentation requested by the sponsor, the institutional review board and independent ethics committee.

Informed Consent

Once the study protocol is approved, the hospital or medical research centre will start to recruit healthy volunteers or patients to participate in the trial. The informed consent process is in place to ensure that all recruits are fully briefed about the trial and the nature of their participation, in both oral and written form.

The Informed Consent document in written form contains:

 

• Information about the trial (purpose, duration, placebo or other comparator);
• Trial procedures;
• Potential benefits and potential risks.
• The recruits will be given time to read the Informed Consent document at home, to discuss their participation with family or close relatives and take time to make their decision.
• If the decision is made to join the clinical trial, the recruits will be asked to sign the Informed Consent document.

 

Control Groups

Most trials will involve some sort of comparison with the new drug being tested. This means that in many clinical trials, while one group of volunteers or patients will be given the product under investigation, a control group is given either an existing standard treatment for the condition being treated or a placebo, a dose that looks like the medicine being tested but in fact contains no medical ingredients.

Regulation and Monitoring

All trials must be performed in line with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) or they will be rejected by the regulators.

Good Clinical Practice is the standard for the design, conduct, performance, monitoring, auditing, recording, analyses, and reporting of clinical trials that provides assurance that the data and reported results are credible and accurate, and that the rights, integrity, and confidentiality of trial subjects are protected.

Patient Safety

Every effort is made to ensure volunteer and patient safety throughout the course of any clinical trial. We do this through a series of tests which may include blood tests, physical examinations, procedures such as CT scans or ECGs and by listening to the patient. UCB’s safety team meets once a month to examine trends and side-effects across all study volunteers and patients.