Novotech eases drug development bottleneck
April 26, 2004 by admin
Filed under Company News, Company News 2004
April 26, 2004 – Orlando, Florida — Clinical research trials in Australia can begin in as little as 2-3 months from the initiation of the approval process and cost up to 30% less than comparable Western countries such as the US and Europe.
Alek Safarian, CEO of Australia’s largest CRO Novotech said Australian regulatory procedures were supportive of the clinical trial process, while the patient population was similar to the U.S in terms of lifestyle and disease characteristics, and responsive to the trial concept and so enrollment.
“We are seeing an increased demand for trials from the US biotech sector,” Safarian said.
“The race to complete clinical trials and drug development plans means biotech companies are increasingly taking an international perspective when deciding how, where, when they can complete their drug development programs as quickly as possible.”
“Many companies are now finding Australia, and so Novotech, an ideal option for high quality, timely and cost effective trials.”
In the past three years, Novotech has worked with more than 15 U.S.-based pharmaceutical and biotech companies as well as many major European pharmas.
William Spickler, MD, PhD, vice president of pharmaceutical development at Angiogenix recently said they had included Australia in the investigational sites for a current cardiovascular study for several reasons.
“First, the population of patients is similar to those in the United States in terms of lifestyle and disease characteristics. In addition, a common language and similar health care systems mean that the patient populations are comparable, Spickler said.
“Finally, the clinical investigators are well trained and are experienced in conducting clinical trials of this type. This capability will help support our efforts in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.”
Safarian said that in contrast to multinational CROs that merely operate an office in Australia: “we know this market inside and out.”
“We have the network, relationships and expertise to quickly get a study up and rolling in this area of the world,” Safarian said.
About Novotech – Unsurpassed Local Knowledge and Network:
Increasingly, U.S. companies are turning to Australia to expedite the pace, and reduce the cost, of clinical trials, while maintaining the high standard of research that U.S. authorities demand. A 2001 Ernst and Young benchmarking study found that clinical research costs may be as much as 30 percent lower in Australia than in the United States and Europe.
In addition, Australian regulatory procedures often enable a trial to begin in as little as 2-3 months from the initiation of the approval process. This compares favorably to usual timelines in major Western countries.
As the largest independent CRO in Australia, Novotech offers a level of flexibility and local knowledge that is virtually unmatched among other contract research organizations in the region. This has helped Novotech develop a strong client base in the United States and Europe.
Headquartered in Sydney, Novotech is focused on the Australian and New Zealand markets but has worldwide reach through the company’s subsidiary in the United Kingdom and through key external partnerships and strategic alliances in North America and other regions.
