The government has hit its target to speed up clinical trials, with delivery times cut by 35 per cent.
Data shows that trials for conditions ranging from cancer to heart disease were set up quicker, meaning patients could receive treatments sooner.
For example, the BEATRIX study, which offers pregnant women a government-backed vaccine against group B streptococcus (GBS) to help prevent infant deaths and stillbirths, was able to turn research into reality in less than 150 days.
The figures shows that the average set-up time for commercial trials in the UK dropped to 100 days in the three months to March this year, down from 153 in the same period last year. All of the 24 commercial trials during those months were set up within 150 days, exceeding the 95 per cent of commercial trials set up within 150-days goal set out in the Life Sciences Sector Plan last year.
Health Innovation Minister James Frith said: "For patients and their families, a clinical trial can offer hope of a treatment that once seemed unimaginable.
"That’s why meeting this target is so important. It means more patients will get the cutting-edge care they need sooner.
"This is part of our mission to get new treatments to patients faster and make the UK a global leader in medical research."
Professor Lucy Chappell, NIHR Chief Executive Officer and DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser, said: "Clinical trials change lives. Faster study set-up means patients can gain access to promising new treatments sooner, giving more people the opportunity to benefit from the latest advances in areas such as cancer, vaccines and rare diseases.
"Through our Industry Hub, a one-stop shop for sponsors looking to run research in the UK, and our UK-wide network of Commercial Research Delivery Centres, NIHR is making it much easier to bring world-leading trials to the UK.
"By continuing to push for the UK to remain one of the best places in the world to clinical research, we’re driving life-changing innovation for patients and the public. We’re also attracting investment, creating skilled jobs and delivering growth that benefits communities across the country."
