Research Days 2024: Public Awareness for Clinical Trials
As part of Research Days 2024, where this year’s theme is health, several NorTrials centers, LMI, and patient associations have organized open meetings about clinical trials.
Research Days are held by various organizations across the country and are coordinated by the Research Council of Norway. This year’s event took place between September 18th to 29th.
Read more about clinical trials
“We at LMI and the NorTrials centers wanted to take this opportunity to invite patients, relatives, and others interested to learn more about what clinical trials are,” says Ina Dahlsveen, senior advisor at LMI and one of the initiators for the series of meetings.
Three meetings have taken place in Oslo, Lørenskog, and Bergen:
- NorTrials Cancer, the Cancer Society, and LMI hosted a meeting at the Cancer Society’s Science Center on September 19th.
- NorTrials Cardiovascular, LHL (the Norwegian Heart and Lung Association), the National Association for Public Health, the National Association for Kidney Patients and Transplant Recipients (LNT), and LMI held a meeting in the auditorium at Akershus University Hospital on September 23rd.
- NorTrials Brain Health, the Parkinson’s Association, Bergen MS Association, and LMI hosted a meeting at the Grand Hotel Terminus in Bergen on September 24th.
At each meeting, attendees heard perspectives from clinicians, patient associations, trial participants, and industry professionals in various therapeutic areas. They also learned more about what it means to participate in a treatment trial.
Photo: Eline Feiring
Organizers and presenters at Akershus universitetssykehus (Ahus), Lørenskog. From left: Ina Dahlsveen (LMI), Peder L. Myhre (Ahus/NorTrials Cardiovascular), Elisabeth Næss (MSD), Paul Erik Broz (trial participant), Ivar Eide (Ahus/NorTrials Cardiovascular), Ann Rita Øksengård (Norwegian Health Association), Nikolai Raabye Haugen (The National Association for Kidney patients and transplant patients), Marthe Gundersen (LHL) og Marit Holmefjord Pedersen (NorTrials Cardiovascular)
For Ahus, Peder L. Myhre, a cardiologist, professor, and leader of the NorTrials Cardiovascular Center, gave a presentation explaining what clinical trials entail. He encouraged patients to say yes if offered the opportunity to join a study.
“Clinical trials are essential for finding new treatments. Participating in a trial is beneficial whether you receive the active substance or are in the placebo group, because being in a study provides extra close follow-up. We have made significant progress in heart medicine, improving outcomes, but there is still much to research. We hope to contribute more from Norway. So, if you’re asked to participate in a clinical trial, I hope you say yes,” Myhre said.
The event in Oslo was held in collaboration with the Cancer Society, which is also working to ensure more patients are offered clinical trials. According to their user panel, 9 out of 10 patients are interested in participating in clinical trials, but 4 out of 10 are unsure about what it really involves and find it difficult to access information.
“That’s why events like this are an important way to raise awareness among patients and their families about clinical trials and their significance,” says Ina Dahlsveen.
Elisabeth Næss from MSD explained at all three meetings why clinical trials are vital for developing new medicines. MSD currently conducts the most clinical trials of any pharmaceutical company in Norway.
“Clinical trials are our past, our present, and our future. Behind every medicine a patient takes are thousands of other patients who volunteered to participate in clinical trials. This has led to many major breakthroughs in disease prevention and treatment over the past half-century. Without patients willing to participate, many would not have access to the treatments available today,” said Næss.
She emphasized the strict requirements for conducting clinical trials, all designed to protect the individual patient.
“Almost all medicines and vaccines are researched and tested by the pharmaceutical industry. As of 2022, there were around 11,000 industry-sponsored clinical trials globally with ongoing recruitment. On average, 43 new medicines and vaccines are launched each year,” Næss said.
Organizers and presenters at Grand Hotel Terminus, Bergen. From left: Elisabeth Næss (MSD), Lemia Boussaada (The Norwegian Parkinson's Association), Kjell-Morten Myhr (NorTrials Brain Health), Reidun Tjønn Rinde (Bergen MS-association) and Ina Dahlsveen (LMI).
At the event in Bergen, Kjell-Morten Myhr, head of NorTrials Brain Health, highlighted the importance of making information about clinical treatment trial opportunities available to patients, relatives, and healthcare personnel who advise patients. He encouraged patients and user organizations to ask about current studies at their hospitals, which could increase hospital participation in available studies in Norway and motivate hospitals to attract more trials to Norway.
Ina Dahlsveen from LMI is pleased that clinical trials were emphasized during Research Days.
“These events have been a great collaboration between the NorTrials centers, patient associations, and LMI. We all share the same goal of ensuring more patients have the opportunity to participate in studies,” says Dahlsveen.