Clinical standards set

Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility has become the first non-commercial clinical research unit in the UK to receive official accreditation for good practice in conducting Phase I clinical trials.

The accreditation has been granted by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which introduced its voluntary accreditation scheme in 2007.

Safe handling

The scheme is aimed at units conducting Phase I clinical trials.

Accredited units must meet stringent standards for avoiding harm to trial subjects and for handling medical emergencies, should they arise.

NHS partnership

Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility was accredited by the MHRA on 4 July.

The accreditation applies to both the Wellcome Trust CRF at the Western General Hospital and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh CRF at Little France.

The Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility operates under a consortium partnership between the University of Edinburgh and NHS Lothian.

This accreditation highlights Edinburgh’s world-class reputation for clinical research and it also makes NHS Lothian more attractive to industry bodies that wish to place clinical trials in Scotland.