Welsh hospital first in UK to recruit patients for pioneering trials

Nation.Cymru staff

Patients at a Welsh hospital have become the first in the UK to take part in two international clinical trials investigating potential new treatments for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Bronglais Hospital in Aberystwyth is the first UK site to recruit participants to both trials, which are funded by pharmaceutical company Roche.

The studies are being led locally by Dr Mark Narain, a consultant gastroenterologist at Hywel Dda University Health Board, and will examine whether investigational treatments can improve symptoms and quality of life.

More than 26,000 people in Wales and more than half a million across the UK are estimated to live with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Both are long-term inflammatory bowel diseases affecting the digestive system and can cause symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea and fatigue.

Participants in the trials receive either the investigational drug or a placebo over a 10-week period and are monitored through regular visits and checks by the research team.

Ronda Loosley, Research Team Lead at Bronglais Hospital, said: “We’re proud to have been the first site in the UK to recruit participants into both of these important trials.

“This achievement reflects the dedication of our clinical and research teams, as well as the strong relationships we have with our patients and communities. It also demonstrates the important contribution Welsh NHS organisations can make to international research.

“These conditions require long-term daily management and can cause painful flare-ups, so research plays an important role in developing potential new treatment options.

“Many of our patients live in rural areas, so being able to take part in these studies closer to home gives them the opportunity to contribute to research that could help shape future care.”

Research capacity at Bronglais has been supported by targeted investment from Health and Care Research Wales, including funding through the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth.

The investment has helped pay for laboratory equipment and dedicated freezer storage required to carry out regulated commercial clinical trials.

Commercial research

Gareth Hopkin, Head of Commercial Research Delivery Wales at Health and Care Research Wales, said: “Commercial research plays a key role in the development of new and more effective treatment options for people with Crohn’s and Colitis.

“These early recruitment milestones at Bronglais Hospital highlight the important contribution that hospitals across Wales can make to large international studies. It also means patients in Hywel Dda can receive early access to these promising new treatment options.

“Health and Care Research Wales is committed to building on these successes and ensuring that more patients across Wales have early access to new treatment options through other commercial clinical trials.”

He said Wales’ nationally coordinated research infrastructure, patient populations and access to data could also help attract further commercial trials.

Click here to learn more about opportunities to get involved in the research

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