Intro to Clinical Research

Episode 34 - Elyse's Corner: The Forbidden Topic

In this episode, we’re back in Elyse’s corner, and today, we’re talking about how governments and politics in general influence medical research and how it is conducted. 
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
Resources - 
https://acrpnet.org/2024/08/15/the-politics-of-health-how-elections-will-impact-the-life-sciences 
Research investment in the UK - https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-secures-400-million-investment-to-boost-clinical-trials 
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial/how-clinical-trials-are-planned-and-organised/how-clinical-trials-are-funded
 
The articles Elyse referred to - 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-022-01269-3#Abs1 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1258/jrsm.2008.070373 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3487230/#sec1-5 
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10741248/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2739020/#b10 

Episode 33 - The End of a Study

We have looked previously at what is needed to start a study, and so today we’re learning what is needed at the other end, when a study is ending. What happens when the patients are completed and we’re trying to wrap everything up? How do studies end and what should be done at that point? Listen to find out!
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/

Episode 32 - Prejudice, Discrimination and Healthcare Impact Part 2

Returning for the second part of this episode, we start with recapping what we talked about in part 1 - although if you missed it you really should go back and listen to Ep30. We’re particularly looking at the healthcare impacts of inequality - why does it matter? And how these things are exacerbated by research. We hope you also note where our shiny rocks are appropriately polished to avoid any fines! 
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
Resources - 
https://www.aamc.org/news/how-we-fail-black-patients-pain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22239747 
https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/insight-and-analysis/long-reads/what-are-health-inequalities#inequalities-in-life-expectancy
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK584392/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37676096/
https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/best-practice/people-centred-clinical-research/people-centred-clinical-research-infographic/ 
Books - 
Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez
Inflamed - Rupa Marya and Raj Patel
Doing Harm - Maya Dusenbery
Divided - Annabel Sowemimo 

Episode 31 - Technology in Clinical Research

What is technology and how is it used in research? How can we, or should we, be using all of the data collected about us for research, and what are the ethical dangers of this? What rules are in place around the handling of our healthcare data? All questions we try and tackle in this episode. We’ll get back to Prejudice, discrimination and healthcare impacts next time!
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
Resources - 
https://ourfuturehealth.org.uk/ 
https://healthdatagateway.org/en

Episode 30 - Prejudice, Discrimination and Healthcare Impacts part 1

Do we have an equitable or equal society? What even do those words mean? And why do we care - what possible impacts could those things have on people and/ or their healthcare outcomes? The answer - A LOT! We start to tackle this in this episode, part 1, with more to follow in part 2! Also, keep your ears peeled for a very brief outing for our favourite shiny rock!
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
Resources - 
https://www.aamc.org/news/how-we-fail-black-patients-pain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22239747 
https://www.hra.nhs.uk/planning-and-improving-research/best-practice/people-centred-clinical-research/people-centred-clinical-research-infographic/ 
Books - 
Invisible Women - Caroline Criado Perez
Inflamed - Rupa Marya and Raj Patel
Doing Harm - Maya Dusenbery
Divided - Annabel Sowemimo

Episode 29 - Elyse's Corner: Drug Advertising

In this episode, we’re back in Elyse’s corner, with the marvellous shiny rocks, which today will go unpolished! Instead, we’re talking about direct to consumer advertising for prescription and over the counter drugs - the history of it, and why does it happen in such a limited number of places worldwide? 
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
References - 
Direct-To-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising: Trends, Impact, And Implications
Pharma and healthcare industry advertising in the U.S. - statistics & facts
Ad spending in dietary supplements category
How advertisers are building up their cannabis ad budgets
Manufacturer Spending on Direct-to-Consumer Advertising for Pharmaceutical Products
AMA press release Nov 2015
Advertising and the promotion of medicines in the UK

Episode 28 - Conflict of Interest

What is a conflict of interest and why might it be important? In this episode we briefly define what a COI is, and explore some examples around medical research and what the impact may be. 
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
GMC Guidance - https://www.gmc-uk.org/-/media/gmc-site/ethical-guidance/mdg-2023/identifying-and-managing-conflicts-of-interest-english.pdf
MHRA Board Members receiving payments from Pharma - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/17/medical-regulator-faces-questions-over-board-members-links-to-drug-firms
MHRA 2022 COI Report - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1173562/Annual_Compliaince_Report_2022.pdf

Episode 27 - Government Regulators

A question that has stood since time immemorial. What DO government regulators do, when it comes to drugs and devices? Hopefully, this episode will give you some answers to that question! Debbie attempts to tell Elyse about Government regulators, but in the process, does forget her own name and how to say thank you successfully. 
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/

Episode 26 - Ozempic

Welcome back from our summer break! Today, a shorter episode looking at the use of Ozempic/ Wegovy (brand names) - type II diabetes semiglutide drugs, because they’re all over the news media at the moment. Living in the most fatphobic bit of the world and discussing it made us feel not great, which is why the episode is shorter today. We also talk about the ban on puberty blockers in the UK, drawing some interesting parallels between that and Ozempic. 
Content Warnings - fatphobia & diet culture, weightloss, death by suicide, transphobia. 
Remember, you can get in touch with us via clinical.research.intro@gmail.com. Please feel free to send questions, comments and compliments for Elyse to read out on the pod. It’s fun to make Debbie squirm!
Credit to our friend Sam Winnie for their awesome and cute music. Check out their work at https://www.samwinnie.com/
Resources
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/13/top-doctor-warns-against-using-anti-obesity-drugs-to-get-beach-body-ready 
https://www.maintenancephase.com/
https://www.yourfatfriend.com/

Episode 25 - Drugs in the News

Today, Elyse and Debbie are putting their finger on the pulse of THE NEWS around clinical research, drugs, science, health - as much news as you could want! We’re going to take it in turns and share with each other - and you - 2 stories each that we’ve seen in the news recently. And then at the end, we go on a tangent about racism and imperialism and white supremacy, you know what we’re like by now. 
Also, just to let you know, Elyse & I will be taking a summer holiday - which means no new episodes for August. See you in September! Feel free to send in questions or suggestions if you miss us too badly!
Resources
Debbie Story 1 - IBD - https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/05/bowel-disease-hope-researchers-find-biological-pathway
Elyse story 1 - Covid vaccines 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2024/05/22/covids-new-flirt-variants-what-to-know-as-experts-fear-summer-surge/?sh=59372a3dd705
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ariannajohnson/2024/06/05/fda-panel-recommends-new-covid-vaccines-for-jn1-lineage-by-fall/
https://www.fda.gov/advisory-committees/advisory-committee-calendar/postponed-vaccines-and-related-biological-products-advisory-committee-may-16-2024-meeting 
https://www.who.int/news/item/26-04-2024-statement-on-the-antigen-composition-of-covid-19-vaccines 
Debbie Story 2 - lung cancer 
https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/may/31/trial-results-for-new-lung-cancer-drug-are-off-the-charts-say-doctors
https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03052608
Elyse Story 2 - Hair Relaxers 
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/16/health/hair-straighteners-black-women-fda.html 
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/magazine/hair-relaxers-cancer-risk.html 
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36245087/