Palliative care clinical trials
Australians with life limiting illnesses are helping others in a similar situation around the country and worldwide by taking part in trials of palliative medicines. Speaking in Melbourne at the Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, said the federal government funded clinical trials had recruited their 1,000th participant.
Australians with life limiting illnesses are helping others in a similar situation around the country and worldwide by taking part in trials of palliative medicines.
Speaking in Melbourne at the Palliative Care Nurses Australia Conference, Minister for
Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, said the federal government funded clinical trials
had recruited their 1,000th participant.
“These world leading studies, by the Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative, led by
Flinders University in South Australia, will answer many questions on the most effective
use of medicines,” Mr Butler said.
“Unlike most other areas of medicine, palliative care services around the world can vary
widely.”
The federal government has provided almost $14 million to the collaborative since 2007.
“This project has shown that such trials are not only possible but essential. People with
life limiting illnesses deserve exactly the same quality of health care as everyone else,”
Mr Butler said.
He added that patients who have volunteered to take part in the clinical trials have shown
they want to help improve the quality of palliative care for others.
“These trials help decide whether particular medications are beneficial in palliative care,
giving us important guidance for the future as well as peace of mind for patients, families
and carers.”
The evidence from the completed studies is already being put into practice worldwide, while
the randomised trial model is being replicated in the America.
Further studies are under way in Australia on topics including breathlessness, nausea,
delirium and appetite.
The collaborative was established by the federal government in 2007. It is a consortium of
12 centres around the country working together to increase the knowledge available to
palliative care professionals.
