KCE Trials is a funding programme for non-commercial clinical trials financed by the Belgian public health authorities. These clinical trials address issues that are usually neglected by industry despite their high societal importance.
Similar programmes already existed in other countries, such as England and the Netherlands. In Belgium, KCE Trials was launched in 2015 at the request of the Minister of Health, based on the recommendations of a KCE report (Report 246-2015).
KCE funded clinical trials are:
- non-commercial
- practice-oriented and focused on current standards of care: unlike commercial trials, these involve patients treated under real-life conditions (in hospitals, in the community and in nursing homes, etc…)
- comparative: they compare the efficacy of treatments which have already been used but which have never been directly compared to one another
- able to enhance healthcare system efficiency by reducing costs while keeping at least the same patient benefit or increasing patient benefit at a reasonable cost
- not limited to drugs or medical devices: they can also involve lifestyle modifications, psychotherapies, physiotherapy and rehabilitation programmes, diagnostic tests, surgical interventions, etc
- guaranteed to generate databases that are made available for public interest research, for example to conduct detailed and independent cost-effectiveness studies.
KCE is responsible for the selection and funding of the clinical trials, but does not conduct them itself. Hospitals, universities or non-commercial research institution take on the role of sponsor of the trial and coordinate the research.
The working language of KCE Trials is English. This ensures more efficiency in international cooperation. For all communications, publications and activities English is used.
If you wish to be kept informed about the activities of KCE Trials and our Calls, please register here.
