Latin American countries interested in the successful model of clinical trials in Spain promoted by Farmaindustria
The Association has participated in the Forum on clinical trials organised by the United Nations in the Latin American and Caribbean region together with the Latin American Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry and the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Innovation of Chile.
Farmaindustria.es
After years of collaborative work between health authorities, research hospitals, patients and pharmaceutical companies, Spain has become an international benchmark in clinical trials with new drugs. In fact, Spain is currently the leading country in Europe in terms of participation in clinical trials of new drugs and, for many companies, Spain is the second or third country in the world in terms of clinical trial activity, behind only the United States and China.
This Spanish model of success was the subject of a study at the Seminar on Clinical Trials in Latin America and the Caribbean, organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) together with the Latin American Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry (FIFARMA) and the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Innovation of Chile, which was held recently in Santiago de Chile. Specifically, the director of Farmaindustria’s Clinical and Translational Research Department, Amelia Martín Uranga, explained during the forum the public-private collaboration model for clinical trials in our country promoted by Farmaindustria at a conference attended by more than 300 professionals, including academics, researchers, ethics committees, representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, parliamentarians and health authorities.
Of the 123 countries currently conducting clinical drug trials worldwide, the United States leads the world in the number of studies, followed by China, Spain, France and the United Kingdom, the conference at the United Nations headquarters in Santiago, Chile, highlighted. In the case of Latin America, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico and Chile lead, but the amount of research in these countries is significantly lower compared to European nations with similar populations.
Farmaindustria.es
The forum devoted one of its main tables to analysing the Spanish model as an example to follow in order to increase the commitment of these countries to clinical research. Thus, during the seminar, the different speakers highlighted the Spanish case from the scientific, social and economic point of view and how our model of collaboration in clinical research can inspire other countries in the world.
In her speech, the Farmaindustria representative highlighted the solidity of the Spanish healthcare system, the high qualification of healthcare professionals, the growing involvement of patients and the strong commitment of pharmaceutical companies as the main keys to the Spanish model of success. “The close collaboration over the years between all the agents involved, public and private, has been and must be the basis for success in the field of research and biomedical innovation, in which we are all involved,” said Amelia Martín Uranga. For this reason, she added, Farmaindustria launched the BEST Project in Spain in 2006, a strategic platform in which all public and private agents are integrated to promote excellence in clinical drug research. “The platform shares and monitors time and recruitment metrics for clinical trials in Spain, which allows us to detect potential bottlenecks and propose solutions,” he said. A total of 59 pharmaceutical companies, 55 hospitals, 13 autonomous communities, six independent clinical research groups and one CRO company are currently part of the BEST project. “This platform has become an international reference as a successful example of how to promote biomedical research.
In his presentation, he also detailed the work carried out by Farmaindustria in recent years to achieve this leadership, achieved, he said, “thanks to the intense and constant work to build trust with the different agents involved in research, in an environment of public-private collaboration and with great cohesion on the part of the associated companies”, said Martín Uranga.
Access to the medicines of the future
Participating in a clinical trial gives patients early access to the medicines of the future, which in many cases is the only option to treat their disease or improve their quality of life. Furthermore, as the Farmaindustria representative highlighted, clinical trials generate a virtuous circle in healthcare systems, because they open up new opportunities for patients, especially relevant in serious cases that do not respond to the available therapeutic arsenal; they facilitate equity in access to medicines in the initial stages of research, while allowing healthcare professionals to participate in the scientific vanguard and also apply it to their healthcare work. In turn, they attract funding from the sponsoring pharmaceutical companies to the participating centres, and provide savings and revenues to public administrations and public health systems”.
“The promotion of biomedical research is a guarantee for the health, economic and social future of countries, and participating in the most cutting-edge international clinical trials can save the lives of thousands of people,” he concluded.
During the seminar, working meetings were also organised with the heads of clinical research of the companies associated with the Chilean Chamber of Pharmaceutical Innovation in order to draw up a roadmap to help attract more clinical trials not only in Chile, but also in the entire Latin American region through the Latin American Federation of the Pharmaceutical Industry. In addition, the participants agreed to strengthen the collaboration between FIFARMA and the United Nations-ECLAC, which expressed its interest in increasing investment in clinical research.
Farmaindustria.es
