European Commission – Update on the EU clinical trial ecosystem in relation to the GloPID-R Funders Living Roadmap for Clinical Trial Coordination

We would like to highlight two European initiatives that directly contribute to the implementation of the GloPID-R Funders Living Roadmap for Clinical Trial Coordination in Europe, and in particular to its Principles 3 and 7.

Principle 3. Support harmonisation of high-quality clinical trial responses

In response to the pandemic, EU-funded projects implementing therapeutic trials on COVID-19 were asked to ensure coordination across the large-scale European trials. This resulted in the creation of the Trials Coordination Board (TCB), which enables a trusted environment for exchange between European and relevant international clinical trials. A second pillar of this coordination is the Joint Access Advisory Mechanism (JAAM), which provides independent scientific advice on new compounds that can be assessed using the EU-funded trials. Finally, the third pillar is the Cohort Coordination Board (CCB), which brings together the large-scale EU-funded cohort projects on COVID-19, and promotes a more harmonised approach of cohort studies across the EU. Having proven significant added value, these initiatives will now be continued in a single dedicated EU-funded project “COordination MEchanism for Cohorts and Trials”, in short CoMeCT. The kick-off meeting of the project was in January 2024, and we will be happy to share relevant updates on CoMeCT in the future. GloPID-R members are welcome to get in touch to promote synergies with relevant large-scale trials or cohort studies in their funding portfolio.

Principle 7. Exert wider influence to address challenges to trial implementation

The Accelerating Clinical Trials in the European Union (ACT EU) initiative[1] aims for better, faster, optimised clinical trials in the EU, by improving the clinical trials environment through harmonisation, innovation and collaboration with stakeholders. The initiative works around 11 priority actions, one of which specifically addresses clinical trials in public health emergencies. This action will work towards increasing collaboration across national competent authorities and ethics committees and define exceptional flexibilities to allow for the rapid approval of clinical trials in emergencies.

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Trial Coordination Board
Joint Access Advisory Mechanism
Coordination Mechanism for Cohorts and Trials
Accelerating Clinical Trials in the EU