The delivery of research studies in the pandemic has proven to be a significant challenge for many, including organisations such as the NIHR and those working in primary care. The PRINCIPLE study is the world’s largest randomised clinical trials of its kind for the early treatment of COVID-19 in the community in helping prevent hospitalization and even death, and stands out as the NIHR’s flagship primary care COVID-19 study.

It is increasingly and often becoming an accepted norm that recruitment into clinical trials of people living in socioeconomically deprived areas and those from ethnically diverse communities is generally poor compared to the larger population.

The PRINCIPLE trial is innovative in many ways, and incorporates a particular focus on how pharmacy and its wider network may be better utilised to help reach out to underserved communities and those most at risk in helping to enhance recruitment.

The learning from the PRINCIPLE trial is now extensively utilised within the recruitment strategy for the PANORAMIC trial of novel antivirals, which has become the world’s fastest and largest clinical trial in primary care.

This is an opportunity for pharmacy to be recognised as a formidable strength in supporting wider research within the community in developing the evidence base and ultimately improving health and health outcomes.

Learning outcomes:

1.   How clinical studies in the community can be better supported through pharmacy
2.   Better understand how those from ethnic minority and underserved communities may be more representative in clinical studies
3.   Gain deeper insight and understanding to some of the challenges to engaging in clinical studies
4.   How UK clinical trials can influence or change practice internationally as well as nationally