BELLBERRY LIMITED RELEASES CLINICAL TRIAL ACTIVITY REPORT 2024 Nation’s largest reviewer of clinical trials across Australia through Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs)

With
Kylie Sproston, Chief Executive Officer
Bellberry Limited, Adelaide

AUSTRALIAN HEALTH JOURNAL SEGMENT
Filmed in Adelaide  | May 2025
Released in the week of International Clinical Trials Day 2025

Established in 2004, Bellberry is a Adelaide-based national, not-for-profit organisation that provides streamlined scientific and ethical reviews of human research. It is the 2025 winner of the Championing Health Award in the Telstra Best of Business Awards.

Australian Health Journal spoke with Bellberry Limited CEO, Kylie Sproston on the organisation and the findings in activity documented in the Clinical Trial Activity Report (CTAR) 2024.

Global investment in Australian clinical trials is strong, with two thirds of Australian clinical trials, reviewed by Bellberry, funded by international companies according to the CTAR.

Bellberry is Australia’s largest ethics and scientific reviewer of research involving humans reviewing approximately 40% of CTN (Clinical Trial Notification) trials in Australia.

Every year since 2019, Bellberry has released its Clinical Trial Activity Report (CTAR) to coincide with International Clinical Trials Day on 20 May. The CTAR describes the portfolio of research conducted in the prior year with Bellberry oversight.

Bellberry CEO, Kylie Sproston, says the 2024 data shows that Australia is uniquely placed to attract worldwide investment in clinical trials activity due to the high quality of its healthcare institutions and researchers.

“The 2024 Clinical Trial Activity Report shows that early phase trial activity remains a key strength with significant and continued growth over the last six years,” said Ms Sproston.

“The USA is the largest driver of early phase trials conducted in Australia, with Australia coming second and China third. Other top 10 countries include Germany, South Korea, Switzerland, the UK, Canada, France and Japan,” she said.

“Almost 50 per cent of the trials that Bellberry reviews are First in Human or Phase 1 trials, highlighting Australia’s strong reputation for this skilled and complex type of research.”

In 2024, oncology accounted for more than a quarter of the studies reviewed by Bellberry, while non-clinical trials made up more than 15 per cent of Bellberry reviews.

“Interestingly, we have seen a doubling of the number of social science research activities that Bellberry has reviewed in the last six years from 5% to 10% of total reviews,” said Ms Sproston.

“Australia’s capacity to support the full clinical development pathway is highlighted by the representation of trials in the 2024 CTAR from FIH through to Phase 4, devices, observational, qualitative, social science, registry, audit, and evaluation.”

The CTAR can be downloaded from the Bellberry Limited website.

Source: Adapted from Bellberry Limited News Story