From O’Shaughnessy to opportunity: innovating Hepatology Trials in the UK

Developing new treatments that improve outcomes for patients with decompensated cirrhosis remains an unmet area of clinical need. The UK has a rich history of being on the forefront of clinical trials for this patient group. However, there have been challenges in achieving this goal in the past decade, with several negative studies as well as trials struggling to achieve recruitment. This has been further exacerbated by the changed clinical landscape following the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, the O’Shaughnessy report was commissioned to identify potential opportunities to improve clinical trial performance in the UK. In this review article, we identify critical areas for the UK hepatology community to collaborate and develop sustainable partnerships for clinical trial delivery which will ensure that outcomes are representative, inclusive and patient-centred