Compliance In Focus

Clinical Trials Day is celebrated around the world on or near May 20th each year in order to commemorate the day that a Scottish naval surgeon, James Lind, conducted what is often considered the first randomized clinical trial aboard a ship on May 20th, 1747. This year, Clinical Trials Day will be celebrated on Friday, May 19, 2017. In 1747, surgeon mate James Lind administered six different methods to attempt to heal sailors that were diagnosed with scurvy, with one of the methods involving oranges and lemons. This method healed the sailors, becoming a breakthrough for an intervention of scurvy, but more importantly demonstrating the potential power of a clinical trial.

This week, May 1^st – 7^th, marks the third annual Clinical Trials Awareness Week, hosted by The Coalition for Clinical Trials Awareness (CCTA). The Coalition for Clinical Trials Awareness is a nonprofit group comprised of health care providers, patient advocates, medical researchers and industry and government stakeholders working together for one common goal - to increase public awareness about the importance of clinical trials participation. Established by the CCTA in 2015, Clinical Trial Awareness Week is observed annually the first week of May, encouraging patient advocacy organizations, medical societies, and other health organizations to rally together to raise public awareness about the importance of clinical trials and the benefits of participation.