When I use a word . . . Seeding trials

Abstract

The recently published Lord O’Shaughnessy report on the conduct of commercially sponsored clinical trials of new medications in the UK contains 27 recommendations. Recommendation 22 reads “Financial incentives should be introduced for GPs to take part in commercial trials.” However, such payments, a feature of so-called seeding trials, have been considered unethical. Ethics committees should not approve any clinical trial in which investigators are given personal financial or other types of special incentives to take part in any way, including recruitment of patients.