Clinical studies in New Zealand & AustraliaNew Zealand and Australia have a combined population of 25 million, predominantly of European descent with a sizeable number of Asians in both countries, and Polynesians, particularly in New Zealand. Down-under Wonders (published in Clinical Research Focus) The advantages of setting up clinical research sites in NZ & Australia include: • Excellent clinical recruitment and retention rates Clinical trial sites are well organised, with motivated staff. The regulatory regime is pragmatic with notifications and approvals normally dealt with quickly. Investigators tend to be hands-on involved in clinical trials, meaning a more personal service for patients, better recruitment and retention, and high quality data. New Zealand has the advantage for clinical studies of treatment-naïve populations in some therapeutic areas. New Zealand and Australia's medical trial training encourages doctors to spend time overseas; so many investigators have international experience and are familiar with ICH-GCP, FDA and related guidelines. Why use research sites in New Zealand? New Zealand’s key advantage in medical technology is that device trials can be quickly started, with no regulatory approval required and a single ethics committee to cover all NZ sites. This means approvals take 1-2 months, and a number of our (especially US) clients have conducted some of their studies in NZ in part for that reason. Biopharmaceutical trials are also quick to start – they require regulatory approval, done in parallel with ethics approval, and take a similar time. NZ is also in a sweet spot in cost-effectiveness, providing first-world quality at lower cost than other developed countries. With devices, it’s important that surgical procedures are done correctly, to minimise patient risk and maximise device effectiveness, so well-trained physicians are critical. Clients get the same quality as in the rest of the developed world, but pay less for it. Biopharmaceutical trials also cost less and sites are not saturated (although the number is increasing). NZ’s time-zone can be helpful for West Coast medical device and biopharmaceutical companies, although this is usually not a critical factor, as we are just 3-5 hours (winter/summer) different from Pacific Time. New Zealand has international Key Opinion Leaders in areas such as Cardiology, Diabetes, Immunology, Hepatology and Respiratory research, and is also strong in Neurology and some areas of Oncology eg skin cancer. Why use research sites in Australia? Australia: The Number One Place for Clinical Trials?
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"Australia has been ranked the number one location to conduct pharmaceutical clinical trials" - Economist Intelligence Unit |
