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Fast track research approval “here to stay,” says regulator

BMJ 2021; 372 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n705 (Published 12 March 2021) Cite this as: BMJ 2021;372:n705
  1. Rebecca Coombes
  1. The BMJ

The regulator of UK research says it wants to sustain “in peacetime” the fast track methods it developed for reviewing research during the covid-19 pandemic.

At the height of the pandemic, the Health Research Authority (HRA) cut around 90% off its research approval timeline. Speaking this week, Juliet Tizzard, director of policy and partnership at the regulator, told how around 700 covid-19 studies were reviewed in total over the past year, half of these within 36 hours and some within 24 hours.

“We had to prioritise the urgent stuff. We provided a fast track review service, prioritising the urgent public health studies identified by the chief medical officer and delivered by the National Institute for Health Research …

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