This Clinical Trials Day we caught up with Faze, our specialist clinical trials business, to find out a little more about the day and why it is so important.

Does May 20th mean anything to you?

Well, you might not have heard of it before, but every year on this day organisations across the globe get together to recognise and reflect upon the achievements of and learnings from clinical trials.

But why this particular day?

Clinical Trials Day falls on the 20th of May to recognise the day in 1774 that James Lind, a ship’s surgeon in the British Royal Navy, started what is often considered to be the very first randomised clinical trial. Aboard the HMS Salisbury, Lind began an experiment that would change the world, investigating treatments for scurvy, a common disease among sailors. Lind’s work not only helped to find a cure for scurvy but also set the stage for the clinical trials we know today.

Why celebrate clinical trials?

Without clinical trials, our local pharmacy shelves would be rather empty with prescriptions few and far between.

Through clinical trials, new medicines, treatments, and therapies are tested and developed. This ensures, that when we or our loved ones find ourselves identifying as a patient, we receive the best possible care, supported by the latest scientific evidence.

At Faze, this is an opportunity for us to reflect on the landscape in which we work, raise awareness of the role that clinical research plays in the modern world, and how we can make changes in the future. This is to better support clinical research professionals and the vital patients who dedicate themselves to driving research forward.

It’s just a Faze!

Faze specialise in supporting companies running trials to find participants for them. We mainly work on Phase 2 and 3 trials where the participants are those with the target condition of the medication being researched, rather than healthy volunteers.

Trials in these phases present a huge opportunity, giving patients access to cutting-edge treatments that may not be available otherwise. From people who have exhausted treatment options and want to try the latest innovations in research or a new mode of administration that’s being developed, those who want to learn more about their own health condition or people who are keen to contribute to progressing the treatments of the future.

But trials are notoriously difficult to find and apply for if you’re a patient and for the companies running the trials, that means they might struggle to find enough participants to run the trial. In fact, 50% of trials are delayed due to patient recruitment and 18% of clinical research sites never find a single patient.

So, at Faze we create that journey that supports patients from awareness to action — targeted creative media campaigns co-created with patients, engaging educational websites for people to learn more about trials in their therapy area and accessible pre-screener questionnaires for people to see if they could be eligible to take part.

Once people have expressed an interest in joining a trial, our Faze1 team take the reins —they chat to potential participants through their preferred communication method to validate their application and answer any questions they may have about the process. If they’re eligible, they’re passed straight to a clinical trial site within their preferred travel distance to take any physical tests required and (hopefully!) enrol on the trial.

None of this would work without our Faze tech-wizards behind the scenes, who are continually innovating and improving our websites and Faze1 referral management software which allows us to see exactly what ad led to the referral.

Cards for humanity

With that in mind, this year we’ve taken to our socials to spread awareness with greetings cards that celebrate the unsung heroes of trials — patients, caregivers and clinical trial site staff.

A big thanks to the Lynx writers and illustrators who brought the cards to life: Annabel, Evie, James, Matt, and Ben.

Follow Faze on LinkedIn to see the full campaign.

Don’t be Shy

If you have any questions about clinical trials, or the work we do, please don’t hesitate to reach out to we@havasfaze.com or Anna Blades in the Faze Strategy team.