Hospital Authority streamlines clinical research approval to promote medical research development (with photo)
******************************************************************************************
The Hospital Authority (HA) held a sharing session today (July 31) with representatives from the Greater Bay Area International Clinical Trial Institute (GBAICTI) and Hong Kong's pharmaceutical industry to outline a series of enhancement measures implemented by the HA for promoting clinical research development, including the recently implemented streamlined approval procedures aiming at attracting more clinical research projects from the industry.
Last year, the HA established a Central Clinical Research and Innovation Office and Cluster Clinical Research Support Offices in each cluster to provide support for frontline healthcare professionals and proactively encourage participation in clinical research. In April this year, the HA further enhanced the application and approval procedures for commercially sponsored clinical research, including revising the long-standing standard clinical research agreement template to provide more up-to-date content and balance the interests of all parties. The HA has also engaged a professional organisation to assist in the review and approval of commercially sponsored clinical research applications, expediting the approval process and timeframe through the incorporation of industry expertise.
The Director (Quality and Safety) of the HA, Dr Michael Wong, expressed confidence that the new measures will promote the clinical research development. "As a key player in local clinical research with professional medical teams and extensive healthcare data, the HA has been aligning with government policies and engaging in communication and exchange with various healthcare institutions and industry stakeholders. Through optimising processes and streamlining approval procedures, the HA aims to facilitate efficient implementation and execution of clinical research, fostering a more conducive environment for medical innovation and enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in international clinical research."
About 100 participants in the sharing session included members and representatives from the GBAICTI and the Hong Kong Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry, who had in-depth exchanges on the development of clinical research in Hong Kong.
The HA Central Institutional Review Board (Central IRB) completed the integration of all cluster Research Ethics Committees in March 2024 and has processed over 1 000 clinical research applications. The Central IRB serves as a co-ordinator and has been further streamlining the research ethics application and approval process and facilitating cross-cluster clinical research applications. Following process optimisation, simple clinical research applications can now be processed through an expedited review procedure, with approval times significantly reduced to within 30 days, while the ethics review for complex research applications can be completed within 60 days.
The HA will continue to dovetail with government policy directions and the needs of the pharmaceutical industry, deepen collaboration with the GBAICTI, and fully support various clinical research applications, thereby promoting Hong Kong's medical and scientific research, enhancing healthcare standards, and benefitting patients.
Ends/Thursday, July 31, 2025
Issued at HKT 14:00
Issued at HKT 14:00
NNNN
Photo
