The coronavirus health pandemic is a challenging time for us all – personally and professionally.

We know that the changes and safety precautions required as a result of the pandemic have had significant impacts on the way we operate clinical trials – those that are underway, set to start or are time-critical. However, the work we do for patients with cancer and the larger community remains so vital!

To help you through this difficult time and to keep you informed, we’ve pulled together some resources specific to delivering clinical trials during the COVID-19 outbreak that you might find useful. If you have any that you are aware of, please share them with us and we’ll update our list for others to access too!

UPDATED 23 APRIL 2020

Grant guidance and support through the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is committed to supporting national and international efforts, including NHMRC funded experts, to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences.

The NHMRC has provided advice regarding grants for researchers and clinicians they fund, including variations they’ve made to assist the health and medical research sector during the pandemic. The changes NHMRC has made are  based on factors that are difficult for them to control or predict.

They include:

Clinical Trials and Cohort Studies Scheme – delayed, with extension to 25 November 2020.

Ideas Grant Scheme – deadline extended to 10 June 2020.

Synergy Grant Scheme – cancelled for 2020.

Special Initiative in Mental Health – open 31 March and now due to close 15 July.

TCR: End of Life Care – updated dates to come.

Postgraduate Scholarships – updated minimum data date 10 June and closure 8 July.

Investigators Grants 2020 – outcomes for the 2020 Investigator Grant Round will be available soon. Dates have been updated and will be available in GrantConnect and on the NHMRC website over the next two weeks,

Click here for more information.

Managing clinical trials during coronavirus

The National Medical Health and Research Council in the UK has released information around regulatory requirements for clinical trials during this time, with the focus on the safety of trial participants.

Click here to read more.

Navigating the coronavirus pandemic and moving forward with critical clinical trials

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released guidance to help support the continuation of clinical trials in compliance with good clinical practice and minimising risk to trial integrity, while also safeguarding the health and wellbeing of trial participants.

Click here to read more.

ARCS Australia webinar series

ARCS Australia has released a webinar series in response to the risk to clinical trials during the COVID-19 outbreak. The recorded webinars are designed to help everyone understand what is happening and what strategies different groups are adopting to keep trials going as effectively as possible.

Click here to access the webinar series.

Management of Haemotology and Oncology Patients during COVID-19 pandemic: interim consensus guide

Thanks to the combined effort of several Australian Clinical Trials Alliance (ACTA) member organisations, we now have an updated interim guide for managing immunocompromised oncology and haematology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to access the full guide.

Quality of Life Technical Service update

QOL is committed to ensuring all cancer clinical trials group (CCTG) members and staff developing concepts, grant applications and research projects with patient-reported outcomes continue to receive full support.

They have moved to conducting meetings online and will upload a series of educational presentations for people to access over the coming weeks. The first has now been made available.

Click here to view their resources.

Other available resources

• Academy of Science Association COVID-19 Expert Database – click here to register or search for an expert.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) COVID-19 nuclear medicine department guidelines – click here to read the complete guidelines.
• Guidance on the Management of Clinical Trials during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic – click here for the report.
• The Queensland Clinical Trials Coordination Unit, have released new updates to their research ethics and governance for clinical trials. These provide operational guidance for sponsors, trial sites, ethics committees, research governance officer/s and researchers – click here for the full update.
• The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce have released further updates to their living guidelines to support clinicians treating people with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections across primary, acute and critical care settings – click here for the updated guidelines.
• NSW Health’s COVID-19 Guidance on Clinical Trials – click here for the report.
• Lancet Resource Centre resources on COVID-19 – access the latest updates here.
• Medical Technology Association of Australia, AusBiotech and Medicines Australia’s Supporting Clinical Trials During the COVID-19 Pandemic – click here for the report.

If you have found other useful resources that other members might benefit from, please send them through to trog@trog.com.au so we can share them.

Our aim is to keep providing updated information regarding clinical trials during this challenging time so to help support you in delivering them safely (for participants and for you) and effectively.