Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars every year on carrying out clinical trials for their potential products. Many other trials are funded by charities, government research councils and other bodies. However, within Europe, national differences in approval procedures and the law relating to clinical trials can lead to increased costs and delays, particularly where trials are conducted in different countries. New European legislation is currently under review that is designed to ensure a common level of patient protection and scientific standards whilst reducing the costs and delays that can occur before trials can commence