Target to start clinical trials within 70 days of approval will take time to achieve, admits minister

A nationally set target in England to have all clinical trials begin within 70 days of being approved is achievable but would take some time to become a reality across the country, a government minister has told MPs.

Appearing before the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on 3 June as part of its inquiry into clinical trials, Earl Howe, the undersecretary of state for quality at the Department of Health, told MPs that universally speedy trials would not happen everywhere overnight.

The committee’s inquiry is in the context of the European Commission’s current proposals to revise the clinical trials directive, which regulates trials in the United Kingdom, and follows concerns about transparency and …