Question
Will they inform me that the trial was unsuccessful?
18 February 2009. Related: All topics, Clinical trials.
I was a patient in the ESPRIT trial at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and I just read a report that the trial was unsuccessful.
I thought I should have been told about this but no-one has contacted me. Can you tell me why and when they will do this?
Answer
This is a bit of an annoying news for me as C+W is a centre of excellence and a leading hospital in the world and one expects that he/she will get the ‘as good as it gets’. It is bizarre for people to understand that the trial that they have participated in is unsuccessful from conference reports (CROI) or some community publications. This has an impact both on the image of the hospital, as well as politically on the trust of the community in trials. And that is really bad.
Perhaps it is a good idea to contact them and inquire whether they can provide you with the results and be a bit assertive, as you have the right to it.
Sorry that I can’t be of more help.
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