New website to help grow Australian clinical trials

A new clinical trials website launched today will make it easier for consumers to enrol in clinical trials and help grow the numbers of clinical trials conducted in Australia, Medicines Australia chief executive Dr Brendan Shaw said today.

Australia suffered a 34 per cent decline in the number of new clinical trials between 2007 and 2010. Dr Shaw said the AustralianClinicalTrials website, launched today by Health Minister Tanya Plibersek and Industry Minister Greg Combet, will make it easier for Australians to learn more about participating in trials.

“Clinical trials are an indispensible and, in many cases, the most expensive and time-consuming component of the development process for new medicines and vaccines,” Dr Shaw said.

“So we have a major interest in policy improvements such as the new clinical trials website. This was a key recommendation of the Government’s Clinical Trials Action Group that was set up to ensure Australia remains competitive as a location for clinical trial investment.

“I congratulate Ministers Plibersek and Combet on bringing this website to fruition. I also urge them to keep going with the implementation of the other recommendations of the Clinical Trials Action Group.

“The website is a great first step because addressing the challenges in patient recruitment is one way to help grow the number of clinical trials in Australia and reverse the decline we’ve seen over the past few years.

“Australia is facing increasingly stiff competition globally for clinical trial investment and too often we’re missing out on that investment to countries in eastern Europe and Asia.

“We need to implement the other recommendations of the Clinical Trials Action Group as soon as possible.

“We have a precious opportunity in Australia to reinvigorate our clinical trials industry and ensure we can better compete in the world market for clinical trial investment and keep Australia at the forefront of medical research.

“Clinical trials are one of those classic areas where the benefits of commercial success merge with benefits for the greater community, where successful business outcomes lead to successful patient outcomes.

“Patients who participate in clinical trials get early, and often free, access to new treatments which aren’t widely available to the community at large.

-ENDS-

Contact Person:

Jamie Nicholson
Media Communications Manager
Phone: 0419 220 293
Email: Jamie.Nicholson@medicinesaustralia.com.au