Over the past 30 years, 18,000 clinical trials that have been registered in Australia, with the sector contributing $1.4 billion to Australia’s economy annually. Trials are a critical aspect of evidence-based medicine, and are essential for testing how new treatments, tests and vaccines will work. In New Zealand they contribute $146 million to the New Zealand economy.
Australia and New Zealand have established themselves as ideal locations to host clinical trials due to their diverse participant populations, sophisticated healthcare and research environments as well as government backed support. Both countries have adopted the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) Guideline for Good Clinical Practice (GCP) to ensure all trials collect high quality and credible data that is internationally recognised.
To capitalise on this unique position and growth, a coordinated multi-site clinical research operation was missing.
Now, three of the largest clinical trial organisations across Australia and New Zealand have united to form Momentum Clinical Research – an end-to-end clinical research network with sites that have been operating for over 20 years. Combined, they have 13 site locations across the Trans-Tasman and are set to open more locations to allow more studies to take place and enable everyday people to access new and emerging therapies.
In February 2024, New Zealand’s renowned P3 Research joined forces with Australia’s AusTrials and Holdsworth House to form Momentum Clinical Research. The combined entity can now provide sponsors a single point of contact for their current 13 sites across the two countries,
Momentum Clinical Research aims to provide quick responses to feasibility requests, faster study starts and accelerated recruitment – all leading to the delivery of high-quality results for Phase 1b-IV clinical trials. Momentum Clinical Research has become the only Trans-Tasman network of clinical trial sites.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Aus Trials Research Director, Dr Munro Neville, on the Australian clinical trial landscape more broadly and reasons for creating a Trans-Tasman clinical research organisation.
Further growth in the industry is expected, with the Australian Government having pledged $750 million to increase clinical trial activity between 2022-2032. Similarly, the New Zealand Government has invested $98 million into health research funding from 2017-2027 to facilitate the conduct of clinical trials.
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Job-ready clinical trial interns
The Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre Alliance, or VCCC Alliance for short, is a Victorian partnership of 10 research, academic and clinical institutions looking at improving cancer outcomes for patients.
The VCCC Alliance SKILLED clinical trial internships program is a pathway for scientists to build role-specific clinical trial knowledge, experience and in a clinical trials unit through theoretical and on-the-job training. The internship program is a 40 week intensive program to get science student interns job ready for clinical trial assistant and study coordinator internship roles.
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Research finds many practitioners feel underprepared to navigate men’s distress
Movember’s Men in Mind expands nationally to equip mental health professionals with the tools to better connect with men before they reach crisis point. Research conducted by the Men’s Health Research team at Movember has found men account for three in every four suicide deaths in Australia, and more than 50% had sought help in the year before they died.
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Impact of genetic pathologist role across medicine
Dr Marina Berbic is a genetic pathologist and the Deputy Director of Genetics at Douglass Hanly Moir Pathology – a laboratory based in Sydney and part of Sonic Healthcare. The genetics department at Douglass Hanly Moir offers a wider array of genetic tests across many domains, and the medical leadership model ensures the highest possible standard of care and commitment to patient safety.
