In May, at ACTA’s Clinical Trials 2018: National Tribute and Awards the Trial of the Year winner was the Australian Placental Transfusion (APT) Trial, the largest ever randomised controlled trial of delayed placental cord-clamping for premature infants, which has already lead to significant improvements in premature infant health simply by “waiting a minute” during delivery. 

The N3RO Trial scooped the ACTA STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award for its study showing that large doses of omega-3 fish oil, previously thought to protect premature babies against chronic lung disease, does not do so and may be counterproductive. The Hon. Greg Hunt, MP, Minister for Health, presented the awards at a ceremony co-hosted by NHMRC at the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Trial of the Year runners up were the PRECISE Trial,and the TRANSFUSE Trial. PRECISE demonstrated that the common nerve pain medication, pregabalin, prescribed for people suffering from sciatica does not reduce the severity of leg pain or improve other health outcomes. It further demonstrated a higher risk of side effects such as dizziness. PRECISE also achieved an Honourable Mentioning the ACTA STInG Excellence in Trial Statistics Award. TRANSFUSE showed that blood transfusions using blood stored for up to the standard maximum of 42 days is just as beneficial or better for patient outcomes as using “fresher” blood. Congratulations to the winners and finalists and all the trial groups that nominated for the Awards, and a big thank you to our judging panel, which included eminent representatives from the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Clinical Trials Network, The University of Sydney, Menzies School of Health Research, The University of Melbourne, the Australian Melanoma Consumer Alliance, and Griffith University.  We are grateful to to our event partners and sponsors: MTPConnect, Medicines Australia, the National Health and Medical Research Council, AusBiotech, Research Australia, the Medical Technology Association of Australia.