'Conducting GCP-compliant clinical research', edited by Wendy Bohaychuk and Graham Ball. Pp xiv+211. Price £60. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1999. ISBN 0 471 98824 3.
The aim of this book is to describe a general framework for conducting Good Clinical Practice (GCP)-compliant clinical research. The topics covered are the current rules for conducting clinical research, setting up clinical studies, ethical considerations, monitoring and safety reporting, data collection, managing study medicines and devices, and the closure of clinical studies.
The book would clearly be of interest to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who are responsible for the management and co-ordination of clinical trials. It would be useful to both those new in this area and those with some experience. The inclusion of specific case examples of studies which have failed to comply with GCP keeps the information in context, demonstrating potential pitfalls when conducting such studies.
To get most value from this book, all the chapters should be read, which does take some time. For this reason, it should probably not be viewed as a quick reference guide to GCP. In summary, the book is highly informative and useful for pharmacy staff with an interest in GCP.
Reviewer - Alison Conway
Alison Conway is principal pharmacist (drug resource) and clinical trials manager at the Royal Marsden hospital, Sutton, Surrey