By registering as a clinical trial volunteer you will help us in the development of new, safer and more effective medicines.

In order to develop a new medication and to make it available to patients it must be studied through a process of many research trials to prove its safety and efficacy. Some trials involve small groups of healthy volunteers and others involve patients with a disease, for which the new medication is being developed. The GSK Medicines Research Unit is located within a controlled hospital environment so that detailed studies can be conducted in a closely monitored environment.

The type of medicine and the study design will determine your suitability as a study volunteer. Before you decide whether to participate in a study it is important for you to know why the research is being done and what will be involved. Our recruitment department will provide you with all the relevant information and during a screening visit prior to the study you will have the opportunity to discuss all aspects of the trial with the study doctor, in detail. If you agree to participate you will have to sign a consent form, which means that you agree to participate in the study. During this screening visit our study staff will take your medical history, perform a medical examination and will take some blood and urine samples for clinical laboratory analysis.

If you meet all the inclusion criteria of the study you will be invited to take part in the clinical trial. Each trial is different in its design. Most trials involve 1-3 in-house periods of 2-4 days/nights in length, some out-patient visits and a post-study visit approximately 7-10 days after the last study visit. Some studies, however, can last up to 5 months and some may involve in-house stays of several weeks.

These studies require commitment of your time, dedication and strict compliance with the study protocol and do not provide you with any direct medical benefit. You will therefore receive a study participation payment as reimbursement for your time and inconvenience. The amount is dependent on the complexity of the individual study and therefore is variable from trial to trial.

Every study is conducted in compliance with international regulations (International Conference of Harmonisation of technical requirements-Good Clinical Practice), Australian regulations (Therapeutic Goods Administration, National Health and Medical Research Council) as well as company policies to ensure your well-being and safety.

Each study must be reviewed and approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee and is also communicated to the TGA.

Throughout the study you will be supervised and looked after by the most experienced and qualified team of research physicians, research nurses and scientists to ensure your safety and well-being. All beds are equipped with state of the art cardiac monitoring systems and the Unit has direct access to the hospital’s medical emergency team.

During your in-house period we will provide you with a home away from home: A vibrantly painted, WiFi equiped, 16-bed ward with comfortable beds and a stunning view down to Coogee Beach. With any luck you may even spot some migrating whales. A dining room and comfortable lounge area are provided where you can spend your time watching TV / DVDs, playing Xbox 360, Wii, board or card games, reading, studying or working on your laptop. We will provide you with all the meals since they are standardised and therefore you should not bring any food or drinks with you.

If you like to participate in a clinical trial at the GSK Medicines Research Unit you can contact us on:

1800 GSK GSK (1800 475 475) or at volunteers.4.trials@gsk.com.