Designates third full week of May of each year as "Clinical Trials Awareness Week" and May 20 of each year as "Clinical Trials Volunteers Appreciation Day" in NJ.

AJR117

ASSEMBLY JOINT RESOLUTION

No. 117

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 12, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

SYNOPSIS

���� Designates third full week of May of each year as
�Clinical Trials Awareness Week� and May 20 of each year as �Clinical Trials
Volunteers Appreciation Day� in NJ.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A Joint
Resolution

designating the third
full week of May of each year as �Clinical Trials Awareness Week� in New Jersey
and designating May 20 of each year as �Clinical Trials Volunteers Appreciation
Day� in New Jersey.

Whereas,

The National Institutes of Health defines a clinical trial as a research study
in which one or more human subjects are prospectively assigned to one or more
interventions to evaluate the effects of those interventions on health-related
biomedical or behavioral outcomes; and

Whereas,

Today, clinical trials are an essential element of medical research and an
important step in discovering new treatments for cancer and other diseases, as
well as new ways to detect, diagnose, and reduce the risk of disease; and

Whereas,

On May 20, 1747, aboard the HMS Salisbury, a British naval surgeon, James Lind,
started what is widely considered to be the first randomized clinical trial
when he recruited 12 seamen to compare the effects of citrus fruits on patients
with scurvy against five alternative remedies; and

Whereas,

James Lind�s recommendation that fresh citrus fruit and lemon juice be included
in the diet of seamen eventually resulted in the eradication of scurvy from the
British Navy; and

Whereas,

James Lind�s rudimentary clinical trial became the precursor to modern clinical
trials that provide rigorous scientific review of new drugs and other
interventions that instill confidence that they are safe and effective for
general use; and

Whereas,

It was a randomized clinical trial of the Salk polio vaccine in over 600,000
school children that led to the approval of the first preventive treatment and eventual
eradication of that disease; and

Whereas,

Without clinical trials, diseases such as polio and measles would still be a
danger to people today; and

Whereas,

Both the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and Cooper Research Institute
conduct a wide variety of clinical trials to provide the most cutting edge
treatment options for patients; and

Whereas,

As one of the National Cancer Institute�s designated cancer centers, the Rutgers
Cancer Institute of New Jersey is able to provide patients with access to
clinical trials not available at other hospitals, clinics, or doctor�s offices,
as well as access to some of the most advanced targeted treatments and
medicines available to cancer patients; and

Whereas,

The Cooper Research Institute provides unprecedented healthcare services to the
residents of South Jersey, including conducting 168 clinical trials in 2018;
and

Whereas,

According to the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, of the 1,120 new cancer
drugs currently in development, New Jersey has 357 cancer drugs in development
which ranks second, nationally, to California�s 388 cancer drugs in
development; and

Whereas,

In New Jersey, pharmaceutical research companies in collaboration with clinical
research centers and hospitals have conducted 4,967 clinical trials of new
medicines since 2004, including 1,234 in 2013 with the participation of 25,126
selfless New Jersey residents; and

Whereas,

In 2017, New Jersey hosted 792 clinical trials of drugs and medical treatments
and had an estimated total economic impact of $880 million; and

Whereas,

According to the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, New Jersey is commonly
referred to as the �Medicine Chest of the World� because of the State�s
long-standing commitment to the life sciences industry; and

Whereas,

Clinical trials, along with the participation of selfless volunteers, have been
critical to the progress made in the fight against COVID-19 and directly aided
in the development of several effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines; and

Whereas,

The State of New Jersey should recognize and celebrate clinical trials to help
further public awareness and better understanding of clinical trials and their
beneficial use for the people of New Jersey, and to show gratitude for the
selfless volunteers; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� In order to promote
awareness and understanding of the important role that clinical trials play in
modern medicine, and to show gratitude to the selfless volunteers of clinical
trials:

���� a.���� The third full week of
May of each year is designated as �Clinical Trials Awareness Week� in New
Jersey.

���� b.��� May 20 of each year is
designated as �Clinical Trials Volunteers Appreciation Day� in New Jersey.

���� 2.��� The Governor is
respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation and call upon public
officials and all citizens of this State to observe �Clinical Trials Awareness
Week� and �Clinical Trials Volunteers Appreciation Day� with appropriate
programs and activities.

���� 3.��� This joint resolution
shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This resolution designates the
third full week of May of each year as �Clinical Trials Awareness Week� in New
Jersey and May 20 of each year as �Clinical Trials Volunteers Appreciation Day�
in New Jersey to promote awareness and understanding of the important role that
clinical trials play in modern medicine.

���� May 20, 1747, is widely
recognized as the day that British naval surgeon, James Lind, started the first
randomized clinical trial.� James Lind recruited 12 seamen to compare the
effects of citrus fruits on patients with scurvy against five alternative
remedies.� His recommendation that fresh citrus fruit and lemon juice be
included in the diet of seamen eventually resulted in the eradication of scurvy
from the British Navy.

���� Since James Lind�s first
randomized clinical trial, clinical trials have improved a great deal.� Today,
clinical trials are an essential element of medical research and an important
step in discovering new treatments for cancer and other diseases, as well as
new ways to detect, diagnose, and reduce the risk of disease.� Without clinical
trials, diseases such as polio and measles would still be a danger to people
today.

���� Both the Rutgers Cancer
Institute of New Jersey and Cooper Research Institute conduct a wide variety of
clinical trials to provide the most cutting edge treatment options for patients.�
As one of the National Cancer Institute�s designated cancer centers, the Rutgers
Cancer Institute of New Jersey is able to provide patients with access to
clinical trials not available at other hospitals, clinics, or doctor�s offices,
as well as access to some of the most advanced, targeted treatments and
medicines available to cancer patients.� The Cooper Institute, along with the
various other Cooper Health System entities, provide unprecedented healthcare
services to the residents of South Jersey, including conducting 168 clinical
trials in 2018.

���� According to the HealthCare
Institute of New Jersey, of the 1,120 new cancer drugs currently in
development, New Jersey has 357 cancer drugs in development which ranks second,
nationally, to California�s 388 cancer drugs in development.� In New Jersey,
pharmaceutical research companies in collaboration with clinical research
centers and hospitals have conducted 4,967 clinical trials of new medicines
since 2004, including 1,234 in 2013 with the participation of 25,126 New Jersey
residents.� In 2017, New Jersey hosted 792 clinical trials and had an estimated
total economic impact of $880 million.

���� Clinical trials have been
critical to the progress made in the fight against COVID-19 and directly aided
in the development of several effective and safe COVID-19 vaccines.� The
selfless volunteers who have participated in these clinical trials have helped
scientists develop reliable vaccines against COVID-19, such as the Pfizer and
Moderna vaccinations.

���� The State of New Jersey should
recognize and celebrate clinical trials to help further public awareness and
better understanding of clinical trials and their beneficial use for the people
of New Jersey, and to show gratitude for the selfless volunteers.