COG UK 2025 Meeting Review
The recent (March 2025) COG UK meeting brought together leaders from across the UK’s clinical research ecosystem to address key challenges and opportunities in the UK clinical trial landscape. The two-day event featured keynotes, panel discussions, and case studies from industry experts. Below is a summary of the five key themes that emerged from the conference.
Patient-Centricity and Engagement
Patient-centricity was a dominant theme throughout the conference, with multiple sessions exploring how to meaningfully incorporate patient perspectives into trial design and execution. The opening keynote panel featuring Binita Patel (Bayer), Lavita Menezes (Silence Therapeutics), and Shaun Treweek (University of Aberdeen) set the tone by discussing strategies for enhancing patient-centricity within the NHS framework. Ian Hodgson (Corbus Pharmaceuticals) emphasised moving "beyond tokenism to true value" in patient engagement, highlighting the need for genuine involvement rather than superficial initiatives.
Julie Powell (Pleco Therapeutics) and Sumira Riaz shared practical approaches for early-stage biotechs to establish meaningful patient connections despite limited resources. Diekola Dare (VCTC) presented innovative recruitment strategies, including leveraging social media platforms and patient advocacy networks, noting their success in complex rare disease trials and challenging oncology rescue studies.
Regulatory Navigation and Compliance
Navigating the complex regulatory landscape was another key focus area. Saqib Mir (Aixial Group) discussed patient-centric regulatory approaches essential for accelerating approvals, sharing case studies of successful fast-tracking processes. Liam Spencer (Lumis International) provided a clear roadmap through EU and UK medical device regulations, highlighting the unique hurdles compared to pharmaceutical trials.
The MHRA's combined assessment system received significant attention in Caroline Wroe's (NIHR) session on the UK clinical trial landscape. Lee McGuinness (Premier Research) addressed the critical factors for outsourcing safety management activities, emphasising the importance of comprehensive evaluation of providers' expertise and regulatory knowledge when outsourcing pharmacovigilance activities.
Outsourcing Models and Partnerships
A significant portion of the conference was dedicated to evolving outsourcing models, particularly the shift from full-service to Functional Service Provider (FSP) approaches. The interactive panel chaired by Andy Thurstan (Wave Life Sciences) with participants including Yvanne Enever (PHARMExcel), Graeme Duncan (Neurocentrx), Sue Saint (Wave Life Sciences) and Swetang Khambhatwala explored recent outsourcing trends and strategies for enhancing partnerships and pricing transparency.
Myrthe Trompert and Santiago Figuerero Gregorini (Salvius Legal) shared insights on successful planning and contract management with vendors and sites. Gaia Kiru (ICTU-Global, Imperial College London) examined the evolving role of academic research organizations (ACROs) in delivering industry-sponsored research, highlighting their unique benefits including established site relationships and integrated research networks within the NHS ecosystem.
Strategic Site Selection and Management
Site selection and management emerged as critical success factors for clinical trials. The TCR-Solutions team, represented by Davy Yeung and Peter MacLennan, addressed the challenges of working with hospital sites, stating that "we cannot treat hospital sites like commercial vendors." Their session provided approaches to troubleshooting common issues like slow setup, recruitment delays, and data quality concerns.
Sharon Sandhu and Ravi Nizzer (CRUK) shared insights from the National Contract Value Review (NCVR) initiative, explaining how this framework is improving the evaluation of clinical trial costs and value delivery across NHS sites. Sheryl Caswell (Monument Therapeutics) presented a comprehensive analysis of strategic site selection across global markets, highlighting the financial implications of R&D tax incentives and regulatory pathways in Australia, UK, US, and EU.
Andy Thurstan's closing keynote explored leveraging the NHS Primary Care Network for patient identification, presenting practical approaches to engaging GP practices and implementing efficient screening protocols within primary care settings.
Financial Environment for Biopharma
The challenging financial landscape for UK biopharma companies was thoroughly examined during the closing executives panel on Day 1. Jeremy Sturgess-Smith (Ananda Pharma), Lee Harle (SolasCure), and Krzysztof Potempa (Braincures) provided candid insights into the post-Brexit funding challenges facing clinical-stage companies. The panellists commented that securing sufficient investment remains a significant hurdle for British biotech companies, whether entering clinical trials or advancing to later stages.
They discussed the importance of clear communication regarding drug/device candidate potential, alongside creative funding and equity models to attract investment. The discussion touched on trends in UK venture capital, opportunities and challenges in the public markets, and funding avenues through Innovate UK and the British Business Bank. This session highlighted how biopharma companies must be increasingly strategic and resourceful to navigate the current financial environment while maintaining momentum in their clinical development programs.
Audience Snapshot
COG UK 2025 welcomed an audience of Biopharma executives from across the UK. Proudly, the audience was made up of a large proportion of C-Suite executives, and senior directors/ VPs engaged in clinical research (70% Director, or above).
Furthermore, the total ratio on site between trial sponsor, and service provider provided impactful networking for all attendees (2:1 ratio).
COG UK will return next year, in March 2026, in London! Register now to receive updates: HERE
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