Time: 10:30 - 12:30 UK Time Presenters: Mahesh Parmar (Medical Research Council), James Matcham (AstraZeneca) and Julia Saperia (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
Trials designed to answer a range of questions, often incorporating multiple treatment arms are increasingly being considered in all phases of clinical research in both the pharmaceutical industry and public sector trials. A variety of terms including platform, umbrella and basket designs have been used to describe particular versions of this general framework. During this webinar a regulatory speaker will consider what is meant by the different terms and potential regulatory hurdles, while speakers from industry and the public sector will share their practical experiences of these types of trials.
Mahesh Parmar, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Abstract
Testing many treatments within a single protocol over 10 years at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: Multi-arm, multi-stage platform, umbrella and basket protocols
There is real need to change how we do some of our clinical trials, as currently the testing and development process is too slow, too costly and too failure-prone. Ultimately, we often find that a new treatment is no better than the current standard. Much of the focus on the development and testing pathway has been in improving the design of phase I and II trials. In this presentation, we present examples of new methods for improving the design of phase III trials (and the necessary lead up to them) as they are the most time-consuming and expensive part of the pathway. Key to all these methods is the aim to test many treatments and/or pose many therapeutic questions within one protocol.
Please click here to view Julia Saperia's slides.
Please click here to view James Matcham's slides.
Please click here to view Mahesh Parmar's slides.
Time: 10:30 - 12:30 UK Time Presenters: Mahesh Parmar (Medical Research Council), James Matcham (AstraZeneca) and Julia Saperia (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
Trials designed to answer a range of questions, often incorporating multiple treatment arms are increasingly being considered in all phases of clinical research in both the pharmaceutical industry and public sector trials. A variety of terms including platform, umbrella and basket designs have been used to describe particular versions of this general framework. During this webinar a regulatory speaker will consider what is meant by the different terms and potential regulatory hurdles, while speakers from industry and the public sector will share their practical experiences of these types of trials.
Mahesh Parmar, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Abstract
Testing many treatments within a single protocol over 10 years at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: Multi-arm, multi-stage platform, umbrella and basket protocols
There is real need to change how we do some of our clinical trials, as currently the testing and development process is too slow, too costly and too failure-prone. Ultimately, we often find that a new treatment is no better than the current standard. Much of the focus on the development and testing pathway has been in improving the design of phase I and II trials. In this presentation, we present examples of new methods for improving the design of phase III trials (and the necessary lead up to them) as they are the most time-consuming and expensive part of the pathway. Key to all these methods is the aim to test many treatments and/or pose many therapeutic questions within one protocol.
Please click here to view Julia Saperia's slides.
Please click here to view James Matcham's slides.
Please click here to view Mahesh Parmar's slides.
Time: 10:30 - 12:30 UK Time Presenters: Mahesh Parmar (Medical Research Council), James Matcham (AstraZeneca) and Julia Saperia (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
Trials designed to answer a range of questions, often incorporating multiple treatment arms are increasingly being considered in all phases of clinical research in both the pharmaceutical industry and public sector trials. A variety of terms including platform, umbrella and basket designs have been used to describe particular versions of this general framework. During this webinar a regulatory speaker will consider what is meant by the different terms and potential regulatory hurdles, while speakers from industry and the public sector will share their practical experiences of these types of trials.
Mahesh Parmar, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Abstract
Testing many treatments within a single protocol over 10 years at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: Multi-arm, multi-stage platform, umbrella and basket protocols
There is real need to change how we do some of our clinical trials, as currently the testing and development process is too slow, too costly and too failure-prone. Ultimately, we often find that a new treatment is no better than the current standard. Much of the focus on the development and testing pathway has been in improving the design of phase I and II trials. In this presentation, we present examples of new methods for improving the design of phase III trials (and the necessary lead up to them) as they are the most time-consuming and expensive part of the pathway. Key to all these methods is the aim to test many treatments and/or pose many therapeutic questions within one protocol.
Please click here to view Julia Saperia's slides.
Please click here to view James Matcham's slides.
Please click here to view Mahesh Parmar's slides.
Time: 10:30 - 12:30 UK Time Presenters: Mahesh Parmar (Medical Research Council), James Matcham (AstraZeneca) and Julia Saperia (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
Trials designed to answer a range of questions, often incorporating multiple treatment arms are increasingly being considered in all phases of clinical research in both the pharmaceutical industry and public sector trials. A variety of terms including platform, umbrella and basket designs have been used to describe particular versions of this general framework. During this webinar a regulatory speaker will consider what is meant by the different terms and potential regulatory hurdles, while speakers from industry and the public sector will share their practical experiences of these types of trials.
Mahesh Parmar, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Abstract
Testing many treatments within a single protocol over 10 years at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: Multi-arm, multi-stage platform, umbrella and basket protocols
There is real need to change how we do some of our clinical trials, as currently the testing and development process is too slow, too costly and too failure-prone. Ultimately, we often find that a new treatment is no better than the current standard. Much of the focus on the development and testing pathway has been in improving the design of phase I and II trials. In this presentation, we present examples of new methods for improving the design of phase III trials (and the necessary lead up to them) as they are the most time-consuming and expensive part of the pathway. Key to all these methods is the aim to test many treatments and/or pose many therapeutic questions within one protocol.
Please click here to view Julia Saperia's slides.
Please click here to view James Matcham's slides.
Please click here to view Mahesh Parmar's slides.
Time: 10:30 - 12:30 UK Time Presenters: Mahesh Parmar (Medical Research Council), James Matcham (AstraZeneca) and Julia Saperia (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
Trials designed to answer a range of questions, often incorporating multiple treatment arms are increasingly being considered in all phases of clinical research in both the pharmaceutical industry and public sector trials. A variety of terms including platform, umbrella and basket designs have been used to describe particular versions of this general framework. During this webinar a regulatory speaker will consider what is meant by the different terms and potential regulatory hurdles, while speakers from industry and the public sector will share their practical experiences of these types of trials.
Mahesh Parmar, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Abstract
Testing many treatments within a single protocol over 10 years at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: Multi-arm, multi-stage platform, umbrella and basket protocols
There is real need to change how we do some of our clinical trials, as currently the testing and development process is too slow, too costly and too failure-prone. Ultimately, we often find that a new treatment is no better than the current standard. Much of the focus on the development and testing pathway has been in improving the design of phase I and II trials. In this presentation, we present examples of new methods for improving the design of phase III trials (and the necessary lead up to them) as they are the most time-consuming and expensive part of the pathway. Key to all these methods is the aim to test many treatments and/or pose many therapeutic questions within one protocol.
Please click here to view Julia Saperia's slides.
Please click here to view James Matcham's slides.
Please click here to view Mahesh Parmar's slides.
Time: 10:30 - 12:30 UK Time Presenters: Mahesh Parmar (Medical Research Council), James Matcham (AstraZeneca) and Julia Saperia (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency)
Trials designed to answer a range of questions, often incorporating multiple treatment arms are increasingly being considered in all phases of clinical research in both the pharmaceutical industry and public sector trials. A variety of terms including platform, umbrella and basket designs have been used to describe particular versions of this general framework. During this webinar a regulatory speaker will consider what is meant by the different terms and potential regulatory hurdles, while speakers from industry and the public sector will share their practical experiences of these types of trials.
Mahesh Parmar, MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL
Abstract
Testing many treatments within a single protocol over 10 years at the MRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL: Multi-arm, multi-stage platform, umbrella and basket protocols
There is real need to change how we do some of our clinical trials, as currently the testing and development process is too slow, too costly and too failure-prone. Ultimately, we often find that a new treatment is no better than the current standard. Much of the focus on the development and testing pathway has been in improving the design of phase I and II trials. In this presentation, we present examples of new methods for improving the design of phase III trials (and the necessary lead up to them) as they are the most time-consuming and expensive part of the pathway. Key to all these methods is the aim to test many treatments and/or pose many therapeutic questions within one protocol.
Please click here to view Julia Saperia's slides.
Please click here to view James Matcham's slides.
Please click here to view Mahesh Parmar's slides.
Joint PSI/EFSPI Visualisation SIG 'Wonderful Wednesday' Webinars
Our monthly webinar explores examples of innovative data visualisations relevant to our day to day work. Each month a new dataset is provided from a clinical trial or other relevant example, and participants are invited to submit a graphic that communicates interesting and relevant characteristics of the data.
Topic: R Package Basics.
Our monthly webinar series allows attendees to gain practical knowledge and skills in open-source coding and tools, with a focus on applications in the pharmaceutical industry. This month’s session, “R Package Basics,” will introduce the fundamentals of working with R packages—covering how to install, load, and manage them effectively to support data analysis and reproducible research. The session will provide a solid starting point, clarify common misconceptions, and offer valuable resources for continued learning.
Date: Ongoing 6 month cycle beginning late April/early May 2026
Are you a member of PSI looking to further your career or help develop others - why not sign up to the PSI Mentoring scheme? You can expand your network, improve your leadership skills and learn from more senior colleagues in the industry.
PSI Book Club Lunch and Learn: Communicating with Clarity and Confidence
If you have read Ros Atkins’ book The Art of Explanation or want to listen to the BBC’s ‘Communicator in Chief’, you are invited to join the PSI Book Club Lunch and Learn, to discuss the content and application with the author, Ros Atkins. Having written the book within the context of the news industry, Ros is keen to hear how we have applied the ideas as statisticians within drug development and clinical trials. There will be dedicated time during the webinar to ASK THE AUTHOR any questions – don’t miss out on this exclusive PSI Book Club event!
Haven’t read the book yet? Pick up a copy today and join us.
Explanation - identifying and communicating what we want to say - is described as an art, in the title of his book. However, the creativity comes from Ros’ discernment in identifying and describing a clear step-by-step process to follow and practice. Readers can learn Ros’ rules, developed and polished throughout his career as a journalist, to help communicate complex written or spoken information clearly.
PSI Training Course: Effective Leadership – the keys to growing your leadership capabilities
This course will consist of three online half-day workshops. The first will be aimed at building trust, the backbone of leadership and a key to becoming effective. This is key to building a solid foundation.
The second will be on improving communication as a technical leader. This workshop will focus on communication strategies for different stakeholders and will involve tips on effective communication and how to develop the skills of active listening, coaching and what improv can teach us about good communication.
The final workshop will bring these two components together to help leaders become more influential. This will also focus on how to use Steven Covey’s 7-Habits, in particular Habits 4, 5 and 6, which are called the habits of communication.
The workshops will be interactive, allowing you to practice the concepts discussed. There will be plenty of time for questions and discussion. There will also be reflective time where you can think about what you are learning and how you might experiment with it.