New group aims to make Australia preferred destination for clinical trials
This article was originally published in SRA
The Australian government has established an action group to come up with recommendations that would boost the country’s profile as a preferred destination for the conduct of clinical trials1.
The action group, among other things, has been asked to identify ways to streamline the ethics approval system. It has also been asked to explore better ways to approve, establish and conduct clinical trials.
Phase I-IV clinical trials are worth Aus$450 million each year to Australia and the government wants to ensure that trials are conducted in Australia where possible. The country is facing stiff competition from low-cost centres in emerging economies.
The clinical trials action group will be co-chaired by parliament secretary for innovation and industry Richard Marles and parliamentary secretary for health Mark Butler. It will include members of the Pharmaceuticals Industry Working Group and be supported by officials from the departments of innovation and health.
Other issues on the group’s agenda include national patient referral networks and co-ordinated, nationwide approaches to clinical trials and performance measures. The group is expected to submit a final report to the ministers by 31 March 2010.
Welcome for initiative
Pharmaceutical industry association Medicines Australia welcomed the establishment of the group, saying that, if its efforts succeed in driving reform, it would be directly responsible for ensuring the retention of thousands of high-skilled Australian jobs2. Innovation minister Kim Carr said the “flow-on” investment from clinical trials was a significant contributor to Australia’s R&D effort. “As well as the health benefits for patients receiving early access to new medicines, pharmaceuticals companies are more likely to conduct later stage trials in Australia if early stage trials have already been conducted here,” Senator Carr said.
The group’s efforts are expected to complement the current programme that is being undertaken by the National Health and Medical Research Council through the Harmonisation of Multicentre Ethical Review (HoMER) initiative3. The programme’s objective is to enable the recognition of a single ethical and scientific review of multi-centre health and medical research within and/or across Australian jurisdictions.
References
1. Australian Labor press release, 27 October 2009, www.alp.org.au/media/1009/msheagiisr270.php
2. Medicines Australia press release, 27 October 2009, www.medicinesaustralia.com.au/pages/view_news.asp?id=156
3. NHMRC, Harmonisation of Multi-centre Ethical Review (HoMER), site accessed on 27 October 2009, www.nhmrc.gov.au/health_ethics/homer/index.htm