The patient's perspective of commercial clinical trials

All drugs are tested on a large number of volunteers and patients prior to licensing by the Medical Controls Agency. Patients are often recruited while attending National Health Service (NHS) clinics. This paper reports a survey designed to ascertain patients' views of the desirability of such trials being undertaken in the NHS. Patients have a sophisticated understanding of who benefits from commercial clinical trials. Nonetheless, those taking part in trials did feel the process had some personal benefit. The patients overwhelmingly supported such clinical trials being undertaken in the NHS and felt that they were likely to raise the overall quality of care. The results can be used to influence the design of future patient information leaflets and the trial process.