New Zealand agreement will greatly expand access to clinical trials
A new national agreement between Health New Zealand and Aotearoa Clinical Trials Trust (ACTT) makes it easier to bring more clinical trials to more New Zealand hospitals.
The agreement creates a national framework under which individual hospitals and departments can choose to work with ACTT to attract and run commercial and other clinical trials.
It sets the terms, procedure, and protocols for safety and privacy under which hospitals can run trials directly with ACTT. Each local hospital will sign its own agreement with ACTT covering matters such as on-site facilities and staff.
ACTT can then invest in the specialist staff, facilities, and systems needed to build that capability, at no cost to the hospital, Health New Zealand or trial participants.
The agreement allows for ACTT to extend its successful Middlemore and Whangarei hospital clinical trial model across New Zealand.
The Middlemore operation supports trials across more than 25 hospital departments and has dedicated clinical trial staff and infrastructure, including pharmacy, laboratory, infusion and overnight capability. Clinical trial services provided range from large global Phase III trials through to complex early-phase and CAR-T research.
Expansion of the network will also strengthen New Zealand’s ability to compete for international clinical trials. For patients, a wider hospital network should mean increased opportunity to participate in research closer to home, including trials of medicines that may not yet be available or funded in New Zealand.
ACTT will now begin working with hospitals interested in partnering with ACTT in developing their clinical trial services, while continuing talks with sponsors about studies that could use a wider New Zealand network.
