Sanofi has created a new educational website for the US to help inform patients about clinical trials and what they do and don’t involve.

Through its new Clinical Study Guide the firm aims to increase patient awareness of trials and Sanofi will encourage its clinical trial teams to use the website to increase patient literacy as part of its approach to patient engagement.

Further development of the site is already planned, with ‘trial-matching’ functionality in the works. where after a few prompts patients are directed to the nearest clinical investigator for screening and entry consideration for a Sanofi clinical trial.

The work was led by global head of clinical sciences and operations Lionel Bascles and Kristin Schuhwerk, global head of clinical operations.

Commenting on the new site Bascles, Schuhwerk and their team said they wanted to “raise awareness and educate the public about clinical trials in a way they could understand, while providing them with a sense of empowerment for their health care options”.

“One of the biggest challenges of recruiting patients for clinical trials is patient awareness. In fact, while the majority of people believe clinical research is very important, less than half feel that they understand the process very well. Once they are aware, we then have to overcome the myths associated with clinical trials that may impact their decision to participate.

“It is becoming increasingly important to let patients know clinical trials can be a viable alternative among their treatment options. Patients can then take a more proactive and deliberate stance when talking with their physicians.”

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