A communique released by the Dept of Health late last week reveals that a much-needed national approach to enhancing clinical trials activity remains high on the agenda.
The release following the Standing Council on Health (SCoH) meeting in Brisbane on 11 April reports:
“Ministers endorsed work to identify ways to enhance clinical trial activity in Australia by implementing a national approach to clinical trials. They agreed to ask the Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council to conduct a scoping exercise, in consultation with the National Health and Medical Research Council, to report back on practical approaches to enhancing clinical trials activity.”
Clinical trials networks, working in collaboration with registries and trial coordinating centres, play a critical role in providing high-quality evidence to support a self-improving health care system. Definitive evidence to answer an important clinical question often requires a large trial to be conducted in multiple health care settings around the country or as part of an international collaboration.
A nationally coordinated approach to the way clinical trials are facilitated and conducted across all jurisdictions would significantly increase our capacity to deliver real benefits to patients and the health system.
ACTA commends SCoH Chair Jillian Skinner, NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research, and members of the Council for their commitment to enhancing the conduct of multi-centre clinical trials, and welcomes the investigation of nationally consistent strategies to address the major roadblocks impacting the conduct of public-good clinical trials in Australia.
Read the communique from the Standing Council on Health - 11 April, 2014.