Forming a national multicentre collaboration to conduct clinical trials: Increasing high-quality research in the drug and alcohol field ROB SANSON-FISHER 1 , MATTHEW BRAND 2 , ANTHONY SHAKESHAFT 3 , PAUL HABER 3,4,5,6 , CAROLYN DAY 4,5 , KATHERINE CONIGRAVE 3,4,5 , RICHARD MATTICK 3 , NICHOLAS LINTZERIS 3,4,5,6 & MAREE TEESSON 3 1 Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia, 2 Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia, 3 National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New SouthWales, Sydney, Australia, 4 Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, 5 Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, and 6 Drug Health Services, Sydney South West Area Health Service, Sydney, Australia Abstract Issues. There is a shortage of high-quality intervention-based evidence in the drug and alcohol misuse field.That is, evidence based on replicated effects using rigorous methodology, to establish a causal knowledge base around ethical, cost-effective methods relevant to clinical practice.The knowledge base in this field is limited participant recruitment challenges; difficulty generalising results from single-centre studies; lack of research culture; issues in managing research teams; incentives for descriptive research; and limited expertise in research design and working in multidisciplinary teams. Approach. An Australian national multicentre collaboration is proposed to overcome these barriers, and reduce the burden of drug and alcohol misuse by increasing the number of high-quality clinical trials in this field. It would involve: selecting a representative sample of centres nation-wide with expertise in specific drug and alcohol issues; creating an expert multidisciplinary team to facilitate clinical trials; simultaneous recruitment and implementation of clinical trials across centres; establishing a virtual infrastructure; forming an independent data-integrity and methodology review panel; and attracting and allocating funding for clinical trials. Implications. The ability to allocate funding, the involvement of multidisciplinary experts in drug and alcohol research, and the establishment of infrastructure and procedures are likely to result in the national multicentre group’s capacity to prescribe the type of research conducted under its auspices. Conclusion. The proposed initiative is likely to increase the volume of high-quality clinical trials in the Australian drug and alcohol field, a key step towards reducing the burden of drug and alcohol misuse. [Sanson-Fisher R, Brand M, Shakeshaft A, Haber P, Day C, Conigrave K, Mattick R, Lintzeris N,Teesson M. Forming a national multicentre collaboration to conduct clinical trials: Increasing high-quality research in the drug and alcohol field. Drug Alcohol Rev 2010;29;469–474] Key words: multicentre trial, clinical trial, collaborative research, intervention, drug and alcohol. Introduction Alcohol and drug misuse are major causes of mortality and disability in developed world countries, creating a considerable global burden of disease [1]. In Australia, the burden of disease from tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug misuse is estimated at 7.8%, 3.2% and 2%, respectively [2]. Costs associated with substance misuse Rob Sanson-Fisher BPsych (Hons), MPsych (Clin), PhD, Laureate Professor of Health Behaviour, Matthew Brand BPsych (Hons), Research Assistant, Anthony Shakeshaft BA (Psych), MA (Psych), PhD, Associate Professor, Paul Haber MD, FRACP, FAChAM, Medical Director, Carolyn Day BSc (Hons), PhD, Professor and Postdoctoral Fellow, Katherine Conigrave MBBS, PhD,Associate Professor BSc (Psych), MPsych (Clin), PhD, Director of National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Richard Mattick BSc (Psych), MPsych (Clin), PhD, Director of National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, Nicholas Lintzeris MBBS, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, MareeTeesson BSc (Hons), PhD, Professor and NHMRC Research Fellow. Correspondence to Professor Rob Sanson-Fisher, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, Room 267 David Maddison Building, King Street and Watt Streets, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia.Tel: +61 24913 8169; Fax: +61 24923 6779; E-mail: rob.sanson-fisher@newcastle.edu.au Received 21 July 2009; accepted for publication 9 December 2009. REVIEW Drug and Alcohol Review (September 2010), 29, 469–474 DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-3362.2009.00166.x © 2010 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs